The future of Medicare price cuts on select medications is uncertain. The pharmaceutical industry has filed lawsuits to stop price negotiations, but the Biden administration is still pressing forward. Courts have also declined to move forward with any litigation.

The Biden administration said last week it negotiated price cuts between 38% and 79% for each of the 10 drugs that cost the Medicare program the most money. More than 65 million Americans are enrolled in Medicare. But, most of them won’t see direct savings until the prices go into effect in 2026.

The drugs available for price cuts include Eliquis, a popular blood thinner from Bristol Myers Squibb, which carried a list price of $521 for a 30-day supply in 2023. Enbrel, a rheumatoid arthritis drug from Amgen and NovoLog, a diabetes medication from Novo Nordisk, are also on the list.

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More than 8 million Medicare enrollees are taking one or more of the negotiated drugs. The Biden administration didn’t disclose the amount Medicare typically pays for prescription drugs after all discount and rebates. But, officials estimates the negotiated prices will save older Americans $1.5 billion in out-of-pocket costs, as well as $6 billion for the Medicare program.

When the new prices go into effect, the people who will likely see the most savings are those on the Medicare Part D plan who are required to pay a percentage of the total cost of the drug  before discounts, known as coinsurance. Coinsurance is different from a copay which is a fixed amount. For example, with a copay, someone might pay $10 for a medication regardless of its total cost.

“People who take these drugs are expected to see savings, but the amount is going to vary from plan to plan, and whether or not they’re in a plan that charges a coinsurance versus a copayment,” said Tricia Neuman, senior vice president of KFF, a nonprofit group that researches health policy issues to NBC News.

Most Medicare enrollees may not save a lot of money especially if they’re taking one of the 10 selected drugs, but the lower prices could result in lower premiums for all enrollees.

“To me, the most important benefits of the drug pricing negotiations are that lower drug costs will filter down to benefit everything with lower prices,” said Lawrence Gostin, director of the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University.

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