CMS data shows a hefty jump in both the percentage of Medicare Advantage enrollees with prescription drug coverage (MA-PD) and the percentage of members in stand-alone Prescription Drug Plans (PDPs) who are expected to be in plans rated 4 stars and above for 2020.

A recently announced partnership between Centene Corp., Walgreen Co. and the technology-focused PBM RxAdvance promises “an innovative model for pharmacy management that aims to increase transparency, enhance customer experience and ultimately result in better health outcomes at lower costs.”

Having already rolled out a major redesign of the Medicare Plan Finder in August, CMS recently revealed additional updates it made before the start of Medicare open enrollment on Oct. 15 — including a feature that advocates have said is critical to helping people find the best Part D plan.

An Oct. 17 study from Prime Therapeutics recommends that insurers use value-based contracts to recoup the costs of covering calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) treatments for prevention of migraines. The study also advises insurers to closely monitor utilization and costs associated with CGRPs, as these costs are expected to triple in the coming year.

by Jinghong Chen Pharmaceutical companies increased the wholesale acquisition cost (WAC) of prescription drugs by a median of 25.8% from 2017 through the first quarter of 2019, according to the first public report on drug price increases by California’s Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development. The inflation rate was 2% over the same period […]