DACP’s Drug Policy Research Group helps amend Medicare Drug Benefit

DACP’s Drug Policy Research Group has published many studies which have provided crucial evidence to improve drug coverage policies in Medicaid and Medicare as well as private health plans. They recently consulted with the American Psychiatric Association (APA) to estimate the cost and potential benefits of amending the recently enacted Medicare Part D drug benefit to cover benzodiazepines and barbiturates (medications used for anxiety, sleep, seizures, panic disorder, chronic mental illness, and other conditions). The original benefit, which took effect in 2006, did not cover this class of medications, even for conditions that could benefit from their use. Congressional staff had requested this data in order to assess whether the benefit should be amended to include these drugs for specific conditions. The Drug Policy Research Group, led by Stephen Soumerai, ScD, lent their considerable expertise in this area to help the APA advocate successfully with Congress to pass an amendment to Medicare Part D that will cover these drugs effective in 2013. This provision of the recent Medicare legislation was passed soon after a tie-breaking vote by Senator Ted Kennedy in his first appearance in the Senate following brain surgery.

“Although benzodiazepines and barbiturates can be misused, they are essential in the treatment of millions of Medicare enrollees,” says Dr. Soumerai. "This amendment to Part D is an important milestone in improving the national drug benefit.”