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Drug Cost Sharing Problematic Solution

Wed, 01/31/2001 - 12:00am — Karen Stevenson
Description: 

In the current issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, Dr. Robyn Tamblyn and colleagues from McGill University in Montreal report that asking low income people to share in the costs of prescription drugs has some unintended effects. While they found that cost-sharing did reduce the use of unnecessary drugs, it also led to dangerous reductions in the use of drugs necessary for disease management. Among the elderly, researchers found that cost sharing reduced the use of necessary drugs by 9%, and led to a 14% increase in emergency department visits.

The investigators state, "Consumer cost-sharing has been the principal method of fiscal control because it assumes that people will value what they pay for and as a result, they will reduce their use of unnecessary medication when they are required to contribute a portion of the payment, however consumers may not have the information needed to make wise decisions about necessary treatment."

In the current issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, Dr. Robyn Tamblyn and colleagues from McGill University in Montreal report that asking low income people to share in the costs of prescription drugs has some unintended effects. While they found that cost-sharing did reduce the use of unnecessary drugs, it also led to dangerous reductions in the use of drugs necessary for disease management. Among the elderly, researchers found that cost sharing reduced the use of necessary drugs by 9%, and led to a 14% increase in emergency department visits.

The investigators state, "Consumer cost-sharing has been the principal method of fiscal control because it assumes that people will value what they pay for and as a result, they will reduce their use of unnecessary medication when they are required to contribute a portion of the payment, however consumers may not have the information needed to make wise decisions about necessary treatment."