Medicare Helps Push Drug Spending Up
115483
Spending on prescription drugs rose briskly in 2006 as the Medicare drug benefit kicked in and the government's share of expenditures for medicines surged, according to a federal study to be released today. Overall, health-care spending in the United States continued its climb, rising 6.7 percent...
69008
Medicare patients will have more prescription drug coverage options next year as additional companies offer plans nationwide and many change current offerings, U.S. officials said on Friday.
105536
WASHINGTON - The cost of treating heart and lung disease and mental disorders led the upward push in US health care spending, according to a study examining cost jumps by medical condition.
726930
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is expanding its national $4 generic prescription drug program by about 10 percent, adding drugs for some new conditions.
473188
President Bush promised Congress that his Medicare prescription drug benefit would cost no more than $400 billion over 10 years, but once the legislation was enacted, federal actuaries boosted the estimate to $534 billion.
249444
U.S. prescription drug sales rose 8.3 percent to $274 billion last year, fueled by the Medicare drug benefit, increased use of generic medicines and new treatments for diseases such as cancer and diabetes, according to a new report.
700530
The Bush administration will ask Congress to increase the monthly premiums that wealthier Medicare beneficiaries pay for prescription drug coverage, officials said Friday.
757391
Low-income Americans who get a government subsidy are projected to have most of their spending on prescription medicines wiped away in the Medicare drug benefit that begins in 2006, according to an independent analysis released Monday. But several million people actually would spend more on drugs under the new program.
83038
NEW YORK  - Despite early criticisms, the Medicare Part D prescription drug plan has succeeded in boosting drug coverage among older Americans, especially for those who need it most, according to a University of Michigan analysis.
736487
Physician reimbursement accounts for a third of the increase, and it could become a target for political battle. Washington -- The steep rise in next year&#39;s Medicare Part B premiums can be tied in part to
198340
Specialists told Congress that the way Medicare pays for the drug, used to treat dialysis patients, encourages overuse and raises the risk of heart complications.
479615
Nearly 24 million Americans are  enrolled in Medicare Part D prescription drug plans, the U.S.  Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) said on  Tuesday.
121078
U.S. consumers spent more money on  the cholesterol-lowering drug Lipitor -- more than $9 billion  -- than any other prescription drug in 2004, according to  federal estimates released on Wednesday.
688446
Every year, without fail, spending for services covered by private health insurance increases. Sometimes health care spending grows slowly, as it did in the mid-1990s during the managed-care boom.
92522
The basic Medicare premium will rise next year to $93.50 a month, an increase of $5, the Bush administration announced Tuesday.
394787
The federal government would charge affluent seniors more for drug coverage and require doctors and hospitals to use electronic medical records under proposals released by the Bush administration yesterday to corral rising spending in the Medicare program.
550994
How to benefit from increased spending on preventative medicine.