1、 https:/crsreports.congress.gov Updated October 31, 2019Negotiation of Drug Prices in Medicare Part DThe 116th Congress is considering a number of approaches to address prescription drug prices and spending, including proposals to allow the Secretary of Health and Human Services (the Secretary) to n
2、egotiate prices in the Medicare Part D program. This In Focus provides an overview of how drug prices are established under Part D and describes elements of various proposals for Secretarial negotiation. Overview of Medicare Part D Congress created a voluntary Medicare outpatient prescription drug b
3、enefit, Part D, in the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA; P.L. 108-173). The program started in 2006, and about 46 million Medicare beneficiaries are currently enrolled. In 2019, Part D spending is estimated to reach approximately $98 billion. Part D is also
4、 the primary source of drug coverage for individuals enrolled in both Medicare and the state-federal Medicaid program (dual eligibles). (See CRS Report R40425, Medicare Primer, and CRS Report R40611, Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Benefit.) Part D coverage is provided by private health payers (pl
