Medicare Part B Settlement Commercial

[tednlou2]

I keep seeing this commercial running on local and national programs.  Tonight, I saw it again on ABC World News.  It is a class-action settlement for Medicare Part B and deals with percentage co-pays members paid for drugs for many health conditions, but it has "HIV" in the list.  It says most were injection meds given in doctor's offices.  I'm just curious what this is about, because I see it all the time and it may affect forum members.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lfigGr_zDg

[JR Gabbard]

The settlement applies only to certain drugs that were paid for by an out-of-pocket percentage co-pay.  If the co-pay was covered by supplemental insurance (like ADAP or Medicaid), then you are not a class member.

A percentage co-pay is one that changes with the cost of the medicine, as opposed to a flat co-pay, which never changes.  If you paid a flat co-pay for any of the drugs on the list, you are not a class member.

Essentially the lawsuit claimed that pharmaceutical companies were overcharging for meds that you get not through a pharmacy but through the doctor's office.  The settlement will return a portion of the overpayment to you.  If you are a class member.

More information is available at the settlement website and in the class notice.