Getting your player ready...
WASHINGTON — Medicare officials said Wednesday that the program will pay the $93,000 cost of prostate-cancer drug Provenge, an innovative therapy that gives men suffering from the disease an extra four months to live, on average. Medicare is legally prohibited from considering price when deciding whether to pay for a new treatment. But Provenge’s price tag has prompted debate about the cost of medical care and the government’s role in paying for it. The agency’s decision to review Provenge last year prompted outrage from some patients and doctors who said Medicare was looking for a reason to avoid reimbursing for the pricey drug.
