Читать книгу Medicare For Dummies - Barry Patricia, Patricia Barry - Страница 35

Although Medicare law doesn’t require Part D plans to cover every drug, it does require each plan to cover at least two drugs in each class of medications. A class means all the similar drugs that are used to treat the same medical condition. Many plans cover more than two in each class. But every plan must cover “all or substantially all” drugs in each of the following six classes:

 Anticancer drugs (used to halt or slow the growth of cancers)

 Anticonvulsants (used mainly to prevent epileptic seizures)

 Antidepressants (used to counteract depression and anxiety disorders)

 Antipsychotics (used to treat mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, mania, bipolar disorder, and other delusional conditions)

 HIV/AIDS drugs (used to block or slow HIV infection and treat symptoms and side effects)

 Immunosuppressants (used to prevent rejection of transplanted organs and tissues and treat immune system disorders and some inflammatory diseases)

Medicare requires every Part D plan to cover pretty much all drugs in these categories because of the clinical problems that can occur when patients abruptly stop taking such medications or switch to others.