Spending on Medicare drugs soars despite drop in prescriptions

Published June 4, 2018 9:18pm ET



Medicare paid 77 percent more for brand-name drugs over a five-year span, despite a 17 percent drop in the number of medicines prescribed, an inspector general study found.

The study from the Department of Health and Human Services’ watchdog looked at the impact of high drug prices on costs for Medicare Part D, the program’s prescription drug plan. It comes as the Trump administration is attempting to contain drug costs in the health insurance program for seniors.

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