Want a friend, get a cat. A doctor prescribes a cat for a patient. I question the out-of-pocket costs of the Rx, but point taken.

Speaking of PETS. A few Alzheimer’s updates –

Déjà vu. The Part B premiums increased in 2024 due to newly approved Alzheimer’s treatments. It wasn’t noted in the fact sheet about the premium increase but if you dig into the Federal Register, there it is on page 71560. Sound familiar? Yup, that was the story back in 2022. Granted maybe we’re closer now to actually getting beneficiary access to these products but I’m not holding my breath.

Once in a lifetime. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) removed the national coverage determination for positron emission tomography (PET) beta amyloid imaging and is leaving it to the Medicare Administrative Contractors. As treatment options become available, patients may need multiple scans in order to gauge amyloid levels.

Nice timing …. NEHI put out a report on Alzheimer’s and the continuous need for innovation in detection and diagnosis. Which makes sense – you want to be able to match patients with the right products at the right time. It is too costly to patients and the system to blindly chase hope.

To the Moon. On Wednesday, the back page of the front section of the Washington Post featured a full-page ad from PhRMA outlining concerns with the Biden Administration’s policies impacting the Cancer Moonshot. It may make sense to move ahead with the policies but the public should be aware of the potential impact.

Best Survey of the Year. It’s the Kaiser Family Foundation employer survey release! Years ago I participated in this survey as an analyst at an employer and found the interviewer to be fantastic. They understood what they were asking about and it gave me full confidence in the results.

Obesity and Part D: Obesity drugs cannot be covered by Part D. If you want to know more, here is a nice primer on obesity meds and Part D. I also want to flag a report I worked on with MAPRx on why obesity drugs should be covered by Part D. Here’s something to consider – when the exclusion for weight loss drugs was put into Part D – there were no good options available. Now there are. And obesity is a chronic condition that – beyond health impacts – has economic impacts on the United States.

Hoping for the best, preparing for the most likely. Beyond the back and forth of the House of Representatives speakership is the reality that the budget can got kicked to November and that deadline is quickly approaching. InsideHealthPolicy reports that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is already considering issuing additional guidance as the potential government shutdown counts down.