The controversial new drug for Alzheimer’s disease, Aduhelm, is priced at $56,000 a year for treatment — but Alzheimer’s patients won’t be the only ones shouldering the cost.
All of Medicare’s roughly 60 million enrollees will likely see their premiums rise to cover the new medication, experts say — and the burden will also fall to federal and state governments and, therefore, to taxpayers.
Here’s how it’s expected to work: Because Aduhelm will be administered in physicians’ offices, it should be covered under Medicare Part B, not Part D plans, which pay for medications bought at pharmacies. For new Part B drugs, Medicare typically reimburses 103% of the list price …
