Prices for Seniors’ Drugs on the Rise, Studies Find
From Reuters
Prices of medicines used by older Americans for chronic conditions such as arthritis and high cholesterol are rising even as new federal drug coverage has been rolled out to help make prescriptions more affordable, two studies showed.
Researchers at Families USA found that insurers participating in the Medicare drug benefit program raised prices 3.7% overall for the top 20 drugs used by the elderly since enrollment began in November.
Separately, AARP found that prices for nearly 200 of the drugs elderly people use most -- not just under Medicare -- rose 3.9% from January through March. AARP is the largest group representing older Americans.
