Higher Medicare premiums will remain in place at least until the end of the year, President Joe Biden administration has announced.
The premiums were increased for 2022 because of uncertainty surrounding the Alzheimer’s drug Aduhelm. The Medicare Part B monthly rate was hiked 14.5 percent to $170.10.
The assumed costs for the drug, though, are lower than projected, partially due to the drugmaker Biogen slashing the annual cost by about half to $28,200, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) said in a new analysis (pdf).
Based on the developments, the premium should be lower each month, but adjusting the price in the middle of the year is not “operationally possible,” according to Jonathan Blum, the chief operating officer for CMS….