HHS IG: Medicare drug spending rose despite fewer prescriptions

The Washington Times: Medicare payments for brand-name drugs spiked from 2011 to 2015 even as doctors wrote fewer prescriptions for them, according to a federal report Monday that says soaring manufacturer prices are taking a toll on taxpayers and seniors.

The Health and Human Services Department’s inspector general said total reimbursements under Medicare’s drug benefit, or Part D, for all brand-name drugs increased 77 percent — from $58 billion to $102 billion — while prescriptions dropped by 17 percent, from 229 million in 2011 to 191 million to 2015.

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