New Medicare program could dramatically improve affordability for cancer drugs—if patients enroll

Even for patients covered by Medicare, annual out-of-pocket costs for lifesaving cancer treatments taken in pill form have often exceeded $10,000—until recently. Thanks to changes in Medicare Part D introduced by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) that took effect in 2025, annual out-of-pocket drug costs for all beneficiaries are now capped at $2,000. However, an overlooked voluntary program that’s part of the IRA could be the key to improving affordability for Medicare patients needing expensive oral cancer drugs, according to a new study from researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania published today in JCO Oncology Practice.

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