September 21, 2010

Patient advocacy groups concerned

Starting next year, Medicare recipients that are in the coverage gap for prescription drug coverage known as the "doughnut hole" will be eligible for a 50% discount off the price of brand-name drugs. The Center for Medicare Advocacy and the Medicare Rights Center say, "There is legitimate concern that some manufacturers will steeply increase the price of drugs in order to offset the cost of the discount to the manufacturers at the expense of both consumers and the Medicare program itself."

Some of the most prominent health insurance carriers in the country have announced they will no longer offer new child only policies. This is in direct response to the new healthcare law that mandates insurers accept children with pre-existing medical conditions starting September 23rd. Many of the carriers will continue to accept children with pre-existing conditions as part of a family policy.

More health related news articles can be found in the September 21, 2010 NAHU Newswire.

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