A couple weeks ago, we looked at what a broad group of stakeholders have said about the recommended changes to Part B that the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) voted in support of. But this week, we wanted to examine one proposed change a bit more.

MedPAC has proposed creating the “drug value program,” essentially a redesign of the competitive acquisition program that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services piloted in Part B from 2006 to 2008. MedPAC offered this proposal in an attempt to make Part B more competitive. But this proposal includes several elements that would actually impede a competitive market, including a binding arbitration process to set prices for new drugs, government price controls and, for the first time, imposing access restrictions for patients.

Continue Reading on The Catalyst – PhRMA