Ensuring Access to Emerging COVID-19 Treatments Through Medicare Reimbursement Policy

Authors

Rachel Sachs, Washington University in St. Louis School of LawFollow
Adam Sacarny, Columbia University Mailman School of Public HealthFollow

Document Type

Blog Posting

Publication Date

2020

Publication Title

Journal of the American Medical Association Health Forum

Abstract

Effective pharmaceutical treatments for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are urgently needed, and there has been an explosion of research into compounds with potential efficacy against the disease. The highest-profile success to date is Gilead Sciences’ antiviral remdesivir, which received an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after preliminary data showed that it may speed patients’ time to recovery.¹ Gilead is just beginning to sell remdesivir commercially. However, Medicare reimbursement policy is likely to pose challenges for hospitals seeking to administer remdesivir and other COVID-19 drugs to patients. Policy makers ought to think critically about addressing these policy barriers.

Keywords

COVID-19, Medicare Reimbursement Policy, Access to Treatment

Publication Citation

Rachel E. Sachs & Adam Sacarny, Ensuring Access to Emerging COVID-19 Treatments Through Medicare Reimbursement Policy, 1 JAMA Health Forum e200984 (2020), https://doi.org/10.1001/jamahealthforum.2020.0984 (last visited Dec 13, 2023)

Comments

Sachs RE, Sacarny A. Ensuring Access to Emerging COVID-19 Treatments Through Medicare Reimbursement Policy. JAMA Health Forum. 2020;1(8):e200984. doi:10.1001/jamahealthforum.2020.0984

Repository Citation

Sachs, Rachel and Sacarny, Adam, "Ensuring Access to Emerging COVID-19 Treatments Through Medicare Reimbursement Policy" (2020). Scholarship@WashULaw. 302.
https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/law_scholarship/302