The pricey Alzheimer’s drug isn’t just costing Alzheimer’s patients. It’s contributing to the increasing cost of Medicare premiums

We’ve talked about Biogen’s Alzheimer’s treatment, Aduhelm, before. It’s the first Alzheimer’s drug to be cleared by the Food and Drug Administration in nearly 20 years and Biogen claims it will treat the disease, not just symptoms. It also costs $56,000 a year. Now, it’s raising Medicare premium costs, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) – and it isn’t even clear whether Medicare will cover it.

Standard monthly Medicare Part B premiums are increasing more than $20 a month – up to $170.10. That will add up to $259.20 in extra costs over a year – one of the biggest hikes ever, according to Health Care Dive. The deductible is also increasing by $30 to $233.

Federal officials say the premium increase is due to contingency planning if Medicare decides to cover Aduhelm. Even those without Alzheimer’s will be affected by the high price of the treatment, so long as they’re insured by Medicare.

“The increase in the Part B premium for 2022 is continued evidence that rising drug costs threaten the affordability and sustainability of the Medicare program,” CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure said in a statement.

Millions of Americans have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, and most are old enough to qualify for Medicare, which insures about 63 million seniors and disabled Americans.

The premium increase comes as Congress considers a bill that would curb how much Medicare will pay for prescription drugs. Congress is facing fierce lobbying from Big Pharma on that bill.

U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-N.J. says that the price hike, “confirms the need for Congress to finally give Medicare the ability to negotiate lower prescription drug costs and establish a rebate for drugs that increase faster than inflation.” Without action, the congressman says seniors are struggling to afford the medicine they need while grappling with increasing premiums.

“This double financial whammy simply cannot continue,” the longtime congressman continued.