AARP Cries Foul Over Drugmaker Exception in CMS Part D Draft Guidance

Some drugmakers would not have to pay the 50 percent discount in 2011 for Medicare Part D drugs in the doughnut hole, according to a draft guidance by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The health insurance plans that sponsor the Part D programs submitted their 2011 formularies in April, and they could not have known which drug manufacturers would have agreements in effect for 2011, CMS explains. Those extenuating circumstances require that CMS give drugmakers an extension on the Jan. 1, 2011, deadline for manufacturer discount agreements. ‘“We didn’t expect to see the paragraph on extenuating circumstances for 2011,” Nora Super, AARP director of federal government relations, said.
Drug Industry Daily