Proposed Medicare Change Would Remove Three Types Of Medications From Protected Status.

The AP (1/11, Alonso-Zaldivar) reports that that Obama Administration proposed removing from Medicare “special protections that guarantee seniors access to a wide selection of three types of drugs.” The medications, “antidepressants, antipsychotics and drugs that suppress the immune system to prevent the rejection of a transplanted organs,” have enjoyed “protected” status, but removing that status could save millions of dollars per year and help prevent the overprescribing of antipsychotics in senior care facilities. Critics are concerned that the rule, published in Friday’s Federal Register, could negatively affect patient care. Medscape (1/13) also reports.