States struggle with rising Medicaid drug costs – The Hill

As prescription drug prices continue to rise, states are struggling to find ways to cover the costs to Medicaid, which could mean unwelcome changes for beneficiaries and health plans.States have implemented policies to prevent spending exorbitant amounts of money on drugs, but as prices continue to rise, experts said some hard decisions will have to be made. States can use tactics like preferred drug lists, prior authorization, and even comparative effectiveness reviews, but those may not be enough if recent pricing trends continue. States could dramatically scale back benefits by doubling down on policies that limit medications or cut reimbursements to health plans.ADVERTISEMENT“States have been creative, but it’s a tough, steep hill to climb” to deal with the price increases, Trish Riley, executive director of the National Academy for State Health Policy, told The Hill Extra. “We’re pretty close to states hitting their breaking point. …
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