(CNSNews.com) – Sixteen states have set a limit on the number of prescription drugs they will cover for Medicaid patients, according to Kaiser Health News.

Seven of those states, according to Kaiser Health News, have enacted or tightened those limits in just the last two years.

Medicaid is a federal program that is carried out in partnership with state governments. It forms an important element of President Barack Obama's health-care plan because under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act--AKA Obamcare--a larger number of people will be covered by Medicaid, as the income cap is raised for the program.

With both the expanded Medicaid program and the federal subsidy for health-care premiums that will be available to people earning up to 400 percent of the poverty level, a larger percentage of the population will be wholly or partially dependent on the government for their health care under Obamacare than are now.

In Alabama, Medicaid patients are now limited to one brand-name drug, and HIV and psychiatric drugs are excluded.

Illinois has limited Medicaid patients to just four prescription drugs as a cost-cutting move, and patients who need more than four must get permission from the state.

Speaking on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal on Monday, Phil Galewitz, staff writer for Kaiser Health News, said the move “only hurts a limited number of patients.”

“Drugs make up a fair amount of costs for Medicaid. A lot of states have said a lot of drugs are available in generics where they cost less, so they see this sort of another move to push patients to take generics instead of brand,” Galewitz said.

“It only hurts a limited number of patients, ‘cause obviously it hurts patients who are taking multiple brand name drugs in the case of Alabama, Illinois. Some of the states are putting the limits on all drugs. It’s another place to cut. It doesn’t hurt everybody, but it could hurt some,” he added.

Galewitz said the move also puts doctors and patients in a “difficult position.”

“Some doctors I talked to would work with patients with asthma and diabetes, and sometimes it’s tricky to get the right drugs and the right dosage to figure out how to control some of this disease, and just when they get it right, now the state is telling them that, ‘Hey, you’re not going to get all this coverage. You may have to switch to a generic or find another way,’” he said.

Arkansas, California, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and West Virginia
have all placed caps on the number of prescription drugs Medicaid patients can get.



http://cnsnews.com/news/articl.....ns-medicaid-patients

And who should really be surprised? It's just the start. When you dump tens of millions of people into a system that is already overloaded, what do you expect?

Providing health care for all may very well be a good thing, but when the proponents were talking about how health care was going to be cheaper and better? Well, we all know what end of their body they were talking out of.

Quoted from 55tbird

And who should really be surprised? It's just the start. When you dump tens of millions of people into a system that is already overloaded, what do you expect?

Providing health care for all may very well be a good thing, but when the proponents were talking about how health care was going to be cheaper and better? Well, we all know what end of their body they were talking out of.

Blue Shield has been rationing name brand drugs for quite a while already.

Quoted from 55tbird

And who should really be surprised? It's just the start. When you dump tens of millions of people into a system that is already overloaded, what do you expect?

Providing health care for all may very well be a good thing, but when the proponents were talking about how health care was going to be cheaper and better? Well, we all know what end of their body they were talking out of.

The problem is patent laws prohibit free trade that would make the same drugs available for next to nothing.

No cheap drugs until a billionaire is crowned.

Quoted from Libertarian4life

Blue Shield has been rationing name brand drugs for quite a while already.

Third party payer always fails, whether it is a heavily regulated corporation or a government.  The money that goes into the collective system that pools the money first pays for the bureaucracy and the money left over pays for the goods or services for the customer.  So when the revenue starts to dry up, the head bureaucrats have to decide whether to fund the bureaucracy or provide customer service.  Rationing is how they split the difference by justifying screwing some customer based on an arbitrary criteria while continuing to pay the bureaucrats more and more.

I’m sure the Blue Cross CEO and top officers didn’t received rationed salaries.  And the sheep just continue to nod their heads in agreement.

the ONLY thing for sale is customer service....it WILL become the at leasts....


I may not get the drug but AT LEAST the wallpaper and carpeting here are nice and I can sit and yell at folks because
I feel bad(subjectively of course)

Atlas Shrugged HAS arrived....

those with cash (until it goes digital) will always get service....

this isn't even causing the rise in cost of drugs....but just the access and complaint to docs to get drugs because we are all told
and have learned very well from the previous generation:

"just go to the doctor they will give you something. I'm sure you need an antibiotic."