CMS Accounts For Costly Hep C Rx; Part D Premiums Expected To Rise

CMS accounts for the high cost of hepatitis C medications to the health care system in its advance notice of Medicare Advantage and drug plan pay rates released Friday (Feb. 20), and Part D premiums are likely to increase as a result, health care consultants say. The agency adjusted its normal Part D model to more quickly factor in the huge up-front costs of new drugs that cure hepatitis C within months, instead of treating the infection as a chronic...