Medicare beneficiaries pay more on average than commercial beneficiaries for "ultra-expensive" drugs, a study published in JAMA Health Forum found.
The study, published May 26, compared claims data for Part D beneficiaries and commercially insured individuals aged 45 to 64 years who received ultra-expensive drugs between 2013 and 2019.
Ultra-expensive drugs are those that cost more per beneficiary per year than the U.S. gross domestic product per capita in that year, according to the study. In 2019, the GDP per capita was $65,120.40.
Many of the drugs on the list are cancer treatments.
Here's the average cost Medicare beneficiaries and commercial insurance members paid annually for the most expensive drugs in 2019:
Use: treats myelofibrosis, a bone marrow cancer, and polycythemia vera, a blood cancer
Medicare Part D: $5,692
Commercial insurance: $1,991
Use: treats myelodysplastic syndrome, multiple myeloma
Medicare Part D: $5,401
Commercial insurance: $1,248
Use: treats multiple myeloma, Karopsi's sarcoma
Medicare Part D: $4,816
Commercial insurance: $947
Use: treats chronic hepatitis C
Medicare Part D: $4,603
Commercial insurance: $2,470
Use: treats some forms of leukemia and lymphoma
Medicare Part D: $4,792
Commercial insurance: $1,548
Use: treats advanced breast cancer
Medicare Part D: $4,076
Commercial insurance: $1,998
Use: treats multiple sclerosis
Medicare Part D: $3,997
Commercial insurance: $2,144
Use: treats idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
Medicare Part D: $3,666
Commercial insurance: $1,444
Use: treats prostate cancer
Medicare Part D: $2,980
Commercial insurance: $1,181
Use: treats plaque psoriasis, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease
Medicare Part D: $1,596
Commercial insurance: $1,760