Some Medicare Part D beneficiaries could pay more in 2015

Going into 2015, some Medicare Part D beneficiaries may have to shell out more money for their prescription drugs, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

That's because many plans are moving to co-insurance instead of a co-payment next year, which will lead to some Medicare Part D beneficiaries taking on a higher percentage of the total price tag of their medicines, according to the report.

 "So what this means is that, instead of paying, say, $60 for a co-pay for their medicine, they'll pay 30 percent of the cost of the drug," Dan Mendelson, CEO at Avalere Health, told the Journal.  

Mr. Mendelson also told the the Journal that a fourth tier for specialty medicines that require co-insurance is currently a component of Part D plans, and that as more Part D beneficiaries have to pay more for medicines, "drug makers may need to address the economic value of their products."

"It's a coin with two sides. On one side is cost control and on the other side is patient access," Mr. Mendelson told the Journal. "When you expose the patient to the full cost of the drug or a higher percentage of the cost of the drug, they will use it use less. So as patients become more sensitive to cost, there is going to be a stronger imperative to demonstrate the value of their therapies. And they’ll need to do this with health plans, too.”