The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will stop cushioning prescription drug premiums after 2026, and nearly 25 million seniors could feel it in 2027. Whether their monthly bills rise or fall depends entirely on who is explaining it.
On Tuesday, CMS confirmed it will wind down the Part D Premium Stabilization Demonstration, a scheme that channelled billions of dollars to private insurers to hold down what older Americans pay for medication. Administration officials put this year's subsidy bill at roughly $3.6 billion (£2.7 billion). The striking part is how the same decision is being sold as both a saving and a hit.
