In this article in the Huffington Post, Mary Ann Cope details a scenario that we at OptionOne encounter on a daily basis: patients on Medicare want to receive their infusion at home, but Medicare is unwilling to follow the way of nearly every major payer and pay for infusion of most drugs in the home.

A 2010 Report, conducted by the GAO on the possible benefits of Medicare expanding coverage for Home Infusion Therapy, found that the Secretary of Health and Human Services conduct[ed] a study of home infusion therapy to inform Congress regarding the potential program costs, savings, and other issues associated with a comprehensive Medicare benefit.

Furthermore, Congress asked the Congressional Budget Office to conduct a similar investigation on the benefits of Home Infusion Therapy and to report their results to them in June of this year. While the report has some interesting findings, the CBO’s analysis makes several broad assumptions, leaving a picture that is only half-painted.