Trending News Today: US Medicare Sets Outpatient Rate for Yescarta Reimbursement

US Medicare will pay hospitals close to its standard mark-up rate for administering the chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy Yescarta for cancer outpatients, who will have a co-payment of nearly $80,000, Reuters reported. Yescarta is approved for patients with a type of lymphoma who have failed to respond to other therapies, according to the article. Additional Medicare reimbursements for inpatients have been requested by Yescarta maker Gilead Sciences Inc and Novartis AG, but the CMS has not made a decision on the requests, according to Reuters.

On Thursday, CVS Health announced that it will offer a discount on the anti-overdose drug Narcan to uninsured customers, The Hill reported. CVS will apply a manufacturer’s coupon for Narcan nasal spray for patients without insurance, which will reduce the cost to $94.99, according to the article. According to The Hill, this is the lowest price available for those without insurance.

On Wednesday, Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee proposed lifting the limits on Medicaid paying for opioid treatment, according to The Hill. The article noted that the proposal could be one of the more significant and costly steps that Congress takes to fight the opioid epidemic. The Hill reported that the bill proposes lifting the limits specifically if the care is for substance abuse treatment and lasts less than 90 days.