Rationing medicine in Mississippi and Missouri
Starting Friday, most Medicaid recipients in Mississippi will be limited to five prescription drugs at a time, with no process for appeal. The cap appears to be the most restrictive in the nation, but is just one of many measures being taken by states seeking to rein in soaring Medicaid costs.
Mississippi is among many states moving aggressively to contain Medicaid costs, saying severe measures are necessary if the program is to continue. In Missouri, new cuts also took effect Friday in an effort to reduce the rolls; for example, a single mother of three in Missouri is now ineligible if she makes more than $350 a month. About a dozen states limit the number of prescriptions offered to adult patients, but almost all provide for an appeal process or allow doctors to override the limit.
In Mississippi, where more than a quarter of the population is on Medicaid, the cap includes a limit of two name-brand drugs.
Read more in the New York Times.
The average 60+ individual takes five prescritpion medications per day; seniors with chronic diseases often require a more comphrehensive regimin of medication.