The next subsection (F) deals with Medicaid Prescription Drug coverage.
Section 2501 discusses rebates for prescription drugs. They increased the percentage rate for that.
Section 2502 eliminates the exclusion of coverage for certain drugs. Specifically these are smoking cessation drugs, barbituates, and benzodiazepenes. Party at their house!
Section 2503 increases the reimbursement to pharmacies for providing discounts to the community. You didn’t really think WalMart gave those $4 drugs from the goodness of their heart, did you?
Subtitle G is about Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital Payments.
Section 2551 states that these payments are going down. The payments are going down $500,000,000 in fiscal year 2014, all the way up to $4,000,000,000 in year 2020. These payments are going down because they are intended to compensate hospitals for treating the indigent. But, with the PPACA, these people should have health insurance, or Medicaid, and therefore will not be such a cost burden to the hospitals. The total cost savings will be $17.1 billion.
Dual Eligible people are those that are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid. So, they are both elderly and poor.
Section 2601 sets up funding for demonstration projects to improve the coordination of benefits for this group of people.
Section 2602 sets up a federal office to coordinate care for the dual eligible.
Next time – Improving Medicaid for patients and providers. What a great idea!
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