Medicare spending on EpiPens skyrockets as cost scrutiny continues

You may have heard a lot about families digging deeper to pay for the EpiPen, but seniors are paying more, too.

The number of EpiPen prescriptions written for Medicare patients has skyrocketed the past seven years, research by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation has found. Medicare Part D spending on the EpiPen, used to combat severe allergic reactions, jumped nearly 1,100 percent from 2007 to 2014, going from $6.4 million to more than $75 million.

Testifying before Congress recently, Mylan CEO Heather Bresch defended the EpiPen price saying the drug is less profitable than it might appear. The company receives $274 per two-pack after rebates and fees. Factor in other related costs, Bresch says, and the company makes about $100.

Some members of Congress were less than sympathetic. Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Maryland, accused Mylan and other pharmaceutical companies of getting “filthy rich” at his constituents’ expense, according to a story posted by Consumerist.com.

Medicare drug plans cover part of enrollees’ total drug costs, so seniors in prescription drug plans pay less than the full retail price. However, they still spent significantly more of their own dollars for EpiPens during the seven-year period studied in the foundation’s report. On average, Medicare patients spent $56 on EpiPens by the year 2014 –almost double what they paid in 2007.

To learn more about what’s driving up the cost of prescription medications of all types, check out the “High RX Costs” issues page on the Voices for Affordable Health website. Be sure to sign up for email updates.