High court rules against government on drug reimbursement

By JESSICA GRESKO
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court says the federal government improperly lowered drug reimbursement payments to hospitals and clinics that serve low-income communities. The reduction ended up costing those facilities more than a billion dollars annually. The high court ruled unanimously in a case involving payments for drugs, largely for cancer, that are used by Medicare patients in hospital outpatient departments. The Biden administration had stood by a Trump administration decision to reduce the payments. Medicare provides health insurance for nearly 60 million people age 65 and older or for people with certain disabilities.