T. Gorton: “we know the Medicare program has not kept pace with advances in medical care and changing technology, whether through…”

“we know the Medicare program has not kept pace with advances in medical care and changing technology, whether through access to new medical devices or to prescription drugs. Sometimes seniors do not have access to the most advanced care. That needs to change. Some issues, like adding a prescription drug benefit, required broad reform of the program and an influx of new money to pay for the changes. But there are some common sense changes that can be made today could enhance access to life-saving therapies for seniors, particularly those living in rural areas, and potentially save Medicare dollars. Medicare covers drugs that are administered in the hospital or in a physician's office but will not cover self-injectable drugs or biologics to treat the same disease, notwithstanding the fact that the latter may be superior in terms of efficacy and safety and less expensive. This outdated policy creates a perverse incentive for drug companies to develop drugs that can only be administered by I.V. in a hospital or other acute setting. Those companies that ignore Medicare's coverage policy and develop their products so that they are patient-friendly are penalized, as are the patients who need these products. The end result is often higher costs to the Medicare program, lack of beneficiary access to the best therapies, and treatment delivery problems for beneficiaries in rural areas who may not be in a position to travel to a hospital to receive regular treatments.”