...Medicare population, which uses more drugs and has higher per capita expenditures than the much-younger FEHBP population. If the PBMs have not been able to manage prescription drug spending in the FEHBP program, why should we believe that they would be any more effective in the higher-cost Medicare population?...

...premium increase in 2001, 37 percent of the 13.3% premium increase in 2002, and 30 percent of the 11.1% premium increase in 2003. Keep in mind that the average...than the much-younger, healthier FEHBP population. For example, the average Medicare beneficiary uses four times more prescriptions — about 21 prescriptions...