Peter J. Pitts: Hands off Medicare

The Trump administration recently proposed a major change to Medicare's prescription drug benefit. The misguided reform could deprive seniors of life-saving medicines.

The administration wants to allow the insurers who administer Medicare drug plans to stop covering certain medicines and impose restrictions on the medications they do cover. The changes, contained in a proposed rule released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, would affect medicines in six "protected classes" — anticonvulsants, antidepressants, antineoplastics, antipsychotics, antiretrovirals and immunosuppressants. These drugs help patients beat back HIV, cancer, arthritis and more.