Purchasing Medicare prescription drug benefits: a new proposal

Medicare policymakers are considering using private-sector firms to offer and manage a prescription drug benefit. In such arrangements Medicare and its potential contractors will need to consider four major areas of risk: selection risk, cost management risk, risks of government as a business partner, and risks that new Medicare benefits will change competitive advantages. This paper considers these risk factors and suggests a model for Medicare prescription drug coverage. By adapting private-sector purchasing practices and using competitive markets, Medicare could offer prescription drug benefits--at affordable premiums for beneficiaries--without resorting to national price controls for pharmaceutical products.