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Galbraith AA, Faugno E, Cripps LA, Przywara KM, Wright DR, Gilkey MB. "You Have to Rob Peter to Pay Paul So Your Kid Can Breathe": Using Qualitative Methods to Characterize Trade-Offs and Economic Impact of Asthma Care Costs. Med Care 2023; 61:S95-S103. [PMID: 37963027 PMCID: PMC10635333 DOI: 10.1097/mlr.0000000000001914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Economic analyses often focus narrowly on individual patients' health care use, while overlooking the growing economic burden of out-of-pocket costs for health care on other family medical and household needs. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to explore intrafamilial trade-offs families make when paying for asthma care. RESEARCH DESIGN In 2018, we conducted telephone interviews with 59 commercially insured adults who had asthma and/or had a child with asthma. We analyzed data qualitatively via thematic content analysis. PARTICIPANTS Our purposive sample included participants with high-deductible and no/low-deductible health plans. We recruited participants through a national asthma advocacy organization and a large nonprofit regional health plan. MEASURES Our semistructured interview guide explored domains related to asthma adherence and cost burden, cost management strategies, and trade-offs. RESULTS Participants reported that they tried to prioritize paying for asthma care, even at the expense of their family's overall financial well-being. When facing conflicting demands, participants described making trade-offs between asthma care and other health and nonmedical needs based on several criteria: (1) short-term needs versus longer term financial health; (2) needs of children over adults; (3) acuity of the condition; (4) effectiveness of treatment; and (5) availability of lower cost alternatives. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that cost-sharing for asthma care often has negative financial consequences for families that traditional, individually focused economic analyses are unlikely to capture. This work highlights the need for patient-centered research to evaluate the impact of health care costs at the family level, holistically measuring short-term and long-term family financial outcomes that extend beyond health care use alone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alison A. Galbraith
- Boston Medical Center and Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
- Harvard Medical School & Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, MA
| | - Elena Faugno
- Harvard Medical School & Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, MA
| | - Lauren A. Cripps
- Harvard Medical School & Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, MA
| | | | - Davene R. Wright
- Harvard Medical School & Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, MA
| | - Melissa B. Gilkey
- Department of Health Behavior, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
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Sinaiko AD, Ross-Degnan D, Wharam JF, LeCates RF, Wu AC, Zhang F, Galbraith AA. Utilization and Spending With Preventive Drug Lists for Asthma Medications in High-Deductible Health Plans. JAMA Netw Open 2023; 6:e2331259. [PMID: 37642963 PMCID: PMC10466161 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.31259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 07/23/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Importance High-deductible health plans with health savings accounts (HDHP-HSAs) incentivize patients to use less health care, including necessary care. Preventive drug lists (PDLs) exempt high-value medications from the deductible, reducing out-of-pocket cost sharing; the associations of PDLs with health outcomes among patients with asthma is unknown. Objective To evaluate the associations of a PDL for asthma medications on utilization, adverse outcomes, and patient spending for HDHP-HSA enrollees with asthma. Design, Setting, and Participants This case-control study used matched groups of patients with asthma before and after an insurance design change using a national commercial health insurance claims data set from 2004-2017. Participants included patients aged 4 to 64 years enrolled for 1 year in an HDHP-HSA without a PDL in which asthma medications were subject to the deductible who then transitioned to an HDHP-HSA with a PDL that included asthma medications; these patients were compared with a matched weighted sample of patients with 2 years of continuous enrollment in an HDHP-HSA without a PDL. Models controlled for patient demographics and asthma severity and were stratified by neighborhood income. Analyses were conducted from October 2020 to June 2023. Exposures Employer-mandated addition of a PDL that included asthma medications to an existing HDHP-HSA. Main Outcomes and Measures Outcomes of interest were utilization of asthma medications on the PDL (controllers and albuterol), asthma exacerbations (oral steroid bursts and asthma-related emergency department use), and out-of-pocket spending (all and asthma-specific). Results A total of 12 174 participants (mean [SD] age, 36.9 [16.9] years; 6848 [56.25%] female) were included in analyses. Compared with no PDL, PDLs were associated with increased rates of 30-day fills per enrollee for any controller medication (change, 0.10 [95% CI, 0.03 to 0.17] fills per enrollee; 12.9% increase) and for combination inhaled corticosteroid long-acting β2-agonist (ICS-LABA) medications (change, 0.06 [95% CI, 0.01 to 0.10] fills per enrollee; 25.4% increase), and increased proportion of days covered with ICS-LABA (6.0% [0.7% to 11.3%] of days; 15.6% increase). Gaining a PDL was associated with decreased out-of-pocket spending on asthma care (change, -$34 [95% CI, -$47 to -$21] per enrollee; 28.4% difference), but there was no significant change in asthma exacerbations and no difference in results by income. Conclusions and Relevance In this case-control study, reducing cost-sharing for asthma medications through a PDL was associated with increased adherence to controller medications, notably ICS-LABA medications used by patients with more severe asthma, but was not associated with improved clinical outcomes. These findings suggest that PDLs are a potential strategy to improve access and affordability of asthma care for patients in HDHP-HSAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna D. Sinaiko
- Department of Health Policy & Management, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Dennis Ross-Degnan
- Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - J. Frank Wharam
- Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
- Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Robert F. LeCates
- Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Ann Chen Wu
- Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Fang Zhang
- Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Alison A. Galbraith
- Department of Pediatrics, Boston Medical Center and Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
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Gilkey MB, Kong WY, Kennedy KL, Heisler-MacKinnon J, Faugno E, Gwinn B, Wu AC, Loughlin CE, Galbraith AA. Leveraging Telemedicine to Reduce the Financial Burden of Asthma Care. THE JOURNAL OF ALLERGY AND CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY. IN PRACTICE 2022; 10:2536-2542. [PMID: 35644331 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaip.2022.05.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Revised: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
One of the most compelling arguments for telemedicine is its potential to increase health care access by making care more affordable for patients and families, including those affected by asthma. This goal is critically important in the United States, where the high cost of asthma care is associated with nonadherence to preventive care regimens and suboptimal health outcomes. In this clinical commentary review, we draw from the literature and our own research to identify opportunities for and challenges to leveraging telemedicine to reduce the financial burden of asthma care. Our interviews with 42 families affected by asthma during the COVID-19 pandemic suggest that under favorable circumstances, telemedicine can meaningfully reduce costs, including those related to transportation and missed work, while offering high-quality care. However, families also identified ways in which telemedicine can increase costs. For example, some reported reduced access to support services and material resources such as medication samples, which they relied on to manage costs. In this way, our findings underscore the need for careful care coordination and communication in telemedicine. We conclude by discussing the 4Rs, a structured communication approach designed to support cost conversations, increase care coordination, and help families reduce asthma care cost burden.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa B Gilkey
- Department of Health Behavior, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC.
| | - Wei Yi Kong
- Department of Health Behavior, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Kathryn L Kennedy
- Department of Health Behavior, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
| | | | - Elena Faugno
- Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass
| | - Barbara Gwinn
- NC Children's Allergy and Asthma Center, UNC Health, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Ann Chen Wu
- Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass
| | - Ceila E Loughlin
- NC Children's Allergy and Asthma Center, UNC Health, Chapel Hill, NC; Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pulmonology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Alison A Galbraith
- Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass
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Friedman SA, Xu H, Azocar F, Ettner SL. Comparing Gold-standard Copayment and Coinsurance Values From Claims Processing Engines to Values Derived From Behavioral Health Claims Databases. Med Care 2022; 60:279-286. [PMID: 35213427 PMCID: PMC8917070 DOI: 10.1097/mlr.0000000000001698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND While researchers use patient expenditures in claims data to estimate insurance benefit features, little evidence exists to indicate whether the resulting measures are accurate. OBJECTIVE To develop and test an algorithm for deriving copayment and coinsurance values from behavioral health claims data. SUBJECTS Employer-sponsored insurance plans from 2011 to 2013 for a national managed behavioral health organization (MBHO). MEASURES Twelve benefit features, distinguishing between carve-in and carve-out, in-network and out-of-network, inpatient and outpatient, and copayment and coinsurance, were created. Measures drew from claims (claims-derived measures), and benefit feature data from a claims processing engine database (true measures). STUDY DESIGN We calculate sensitivity and specificity of the claims-derived measures' ability to accurately determine if a benefit feature was required and for plan-years requiring the benefit feature, the accuracy of the claims-derived measures. Accuracy rates using the minimum, 25th, 50th, 75th, and maximum claims value for a plan-year were compared. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Sensitivity (82% or higher for all but 3 benefit features) and specificity (95% or higher for all but 2 benefit features) were relatively high. Accuracy rates were highest using the 75th or maximum claims value, depending on the benefit feature, and ranged from 69% to 99% for all benefit features except for out-of-network inpatient coinsurance. CONCLUSIONS For most plan-years, claims-derived measures correctly identify required specialty mental health copayments and coinsurance, although the claims-derived measures' accuracy varies across benefit design features. This information should be considered when creating claims-derived benefit features to use for policy analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Haiyong Xu
- Division of General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research, Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles
| | | | - Susan L Ettner
- Division of General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research, Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
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Sinaiko AD, Gaye M, Wu AC, Bambury E, Zhang F, Xu X, Wharam JF, Galbraith AA. Out-of-Pocket Spending for Asthma-Related Care Among Commercially Insured Patients, 2004-2016. THE JOURNAL OF ALLERGY AND CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY-IN PRACTICE 2021; 9:4324-4331.e7. [PMID: 34481128 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaip.2021.07.054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2021] [Revised: 07/28/2021] [Accepted: 07/29/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Out-of-pocket (OOP) health care costs can cause financial burden and deferred care for many Americans. Little is known about OOP spending for asthma-related care among the commercially insured. OBJECTIVES To analyze OOP spending for asthma-related care overall, across types of care, and by income. METHODS Using enrollment, claims, and geocoded census tract data on income from a large US commercial health plan from 2004 to 2016, we measured inflation-adjusted OOP spending for individuals with asthma ages 4 to 64 years (n = 1,986,769). We estimated annual asthma-related OOP spending over time, and average total, asthma-related, asthma type of care, and asthma medication spending by income. We measured trends in median OOP cost per medication. Linear regression models were adjusted for patient covariates and deductible level. RESULTS Asthma-related OOP spending decreased over time both for patients enrolled in high-deductible health plans and for those in traditional plans. High-deductible plan enrollment increased from 7% to 54%. Compared with patients living in high-income areas, patients in the lowest-income areas had similar annual total and asthma-related OOP spending, but spent 30% less on controller medications and a higher proportion of their asthma-related OOP spending on inpatient and emergency care (10% vs 3%; P < .001). Asthma-related OOP spending represented a higher proportion of household income for patients in lower-income areas. CONCLUSIONS Patients with asthma living in the lowest-income areas have greater cost burden, lower spending on controller medications, and greater spending on high-acuity care than higher-income counterparts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna D Sinaiko
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Mass.
| | - Marema Gaye
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Mass
| | - Ann Chen Wu
- Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, Mass
| | | | - Fang Zhang
- Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, Mass
| | - Xin Xu
- Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, Mass
| | - J Frank Wharam
- Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, Mass
| | - Alison A Galbraith
- Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, Mass
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Galbraith AA, Ross-Degnan D, Zhang F, Wu AC, Sinaiko A, Peltz A, Xu X, Wallace J, Wharam JF. Controller Medication Use and Exacerbations for Children and Adults With Asthma in High-Deductible Health Plans. JAMA Pediatr 2021; 175:807-816. [PMID: 33970186 PMCID: PMC8111559 DOI: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2021.0747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
IMPORTANCE High-deductible health plans (HDHPs) are increasingly common and associated with decreased medication use in some adult populations. How children are affected is less certain. OBJECTIVE To examine the association between HDHP enrollment and asthma controller medication use and exacerbations. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS For this longitudinal cohort study with a difference-in-differences design, data were obtained from a large, national, commercial (and Medicare Advantage) administrative claims database between January 1, 2002, and December 31, 2014. Children aged 4 to 17 years and adults aged 18 to 64 years with persistent asthma who switched from traditional plans to HDHPs or remained in traditional plans (control group) by employer choice during a 24-month period were identified. A coarsened exact matching technique was used to balance the groups on characteristics including employer and enrollee propensity to have HDHPs. In most HDHPs, asthma medications were exempt from the deductible and subject to copayments. Statistical analyses were conducted from August 13, 2019, to January 19, 2021. EXPOSURE Employer-mandated HDHP transition. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Thirty-day fill rates and adherence (based on proportion of days covered [PDC]) were measured for asthma controller medications (inhaled corticosteroid [ICS], leukotriene inhibitors, and ICS long-acting β-agonists [ICS-LABAs]). Asthma exacerbations were measured by rates of oral corticosteroid bursts and asthma-related emergency department visits among controller medication users. RESULTS The HDHP group included 7275 children (mean [SD] age, 10.8 [3.3] years; 4402 boys [60.5%]; and 5172 non-Hispanic White children [71.1%]) and 17 614 adults (mean [SD] age, 41.1 [13.4] years; 10 464 women [59.4%]; and 12 548 non-Hispanic White adults [71.2%]). The matched control group included 45 549 children and 114 141 adults. Compared with controls, children switching to HDHPs experienced significant absolute decreases in annual 30-day fills only for ICS-LABA medications (absolute change, -0.04; 95% CI, -0.07 to -0.01). Adults switching to HDHPs did not have significant reductions in 30-day fills for any controllers. There were no statistically significant differences in PDC, oral steroid bursts, or asthma-related emergency department visits for children or adults. For the 9.9% of HDHP enrollees with health savings account-eligible HDHPs that subjected medications to the deductible, there was a significant absolute decrease in PDC for ICS-LABA compared with controls (-4.8%; 95% CI, -7.7% to -1.9%). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE This cohort study found that in a population where medications were exempt from the deductible for most enrollees, HDHP enrollment was associated with minimal or no reductions in controller medication use for children and adults and no change in asthma exacerbations. These findings suggest a potential benefit from exempting asthma medications from the deductible in HDHPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alison A. Galbraith
- Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts,Division of General Pediatrics, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts,Associate Editor, JAMA Pediatrics
| | - Dennis Ross-Degnan
- Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Fang Zhang
- Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Ann Chen Wu
- Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts,Division of General Pediatrics, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Anna Sinaiko
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Alon Peltz
- Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts,Division of General Pediatrics, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Xin Xu
- Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts,Now with Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, Lexington, Massachusetts
| | - Jamie Wallace
- Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts,Now with University of Washington School of Public Health, Seattle, Washington
| | - J. Frank Wharam
- Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
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Gaffney AW, Hawks L, Bor D, White AC, Woolhandler S, McCormick D, Himmelstein DU. National Trends and Disparities in Health Care Access and Coverage Among Adults With Asthma and COPD: 1997-2018. Chest 2021; 159:2173-2182. [PMID: 33497651 DOI: 10.1016/j.chest.2021.01.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2020] [Revised: 12/31/2020] [Accepted: 01/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Racial and ethnic as well as economic disparities in access to care among persons with asthma and COPD have been described, but long-term access trends are unclear. RESEARCH QUESTION Have health coverage and access to care and medications among adults with airways disease improved, and have disparities narrowed? STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS Using the 1997 through 2018 National Health Interview Survey, we examined time trends in health coverage and the affordability of medical care and prescription drugs for adults with asthma and COPD, overall and by income and by race and ethnicity. We performed multivariate linear probability regressions comparing coverage and access in 2018 with that in 1997. RESULTS Our sample included 76,843 adults with asthma and 30,548 adults with COPD. Among adults with asthma, lack of insurance rose in the first decade of the twenty-first century, peaking with the Great Recession, but fell after implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). From 1997 through 2018, the uninsured rate among adults with asthma decreased from 19.4% to 9.6% (adjusted 9.27 percentage points; 95% CI, 7.1%-11.5%). However, the proportions delaying or foregoing medical care because of cost or going without medications did not improve. Racial and ethnic as well as economic disparities present in 1997 persisted over the study period. Trends and disparities among those with COPD were similar, although the proportion going without needed medications worsened, rising by an adjusted 7.8 percentage points. INTERPRETATION Coverage losses among persons with airways disease in the first decade of the twenty-first century were reversed by the ACA, but neither care affordability nor disparities improved. Further reform is needed to close these gaps.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam W Gaffney
- Cambridge Health Alliance, Cambridge, MA; Harvard Medical School, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA.
| | - Laura Hawks
- Cambridge Health Alliance, Cambridge, MA; Harvard Medical School, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA
| | - David Bor
- Cambridge Health Alliance, Cambridge, MA; Harvard Medical School, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA
| | - Alexander C White
- Cambridge Health Alliance, Cambridge, MA; Tufts Medical School, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA
| | - Steffie Woolhandler
- Cambridge Health Alliance, Cambridge, MA; Harvard Medical School, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA; City University of New York at Hunter College, New York, NY
| | - Danny McCormick
- Cambridge Health Alliance, Cambridge, MA; Harvard Medical School, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA
| | - David U Himmelstein
- Cambridge Health Alliance, Cambridge, MA; Harvard Medical School, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA; City University of New York at Hunter College, New York, NY
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Mohan G, Nolan A. The impact of prescription drug co-payments for publicly insured families. THE EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF HEALTH ECONOMICS : HEPAC : HEALTH ECONOMICS IN PREVENTION AND CARE 2020; 21:261-274. [PMID: 31705332 DOI: 10.1007/s10198-019-01125-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2019] [Accepted: 10/08/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Co-payments for prescription drugs are a common feature of many healthcare systems, although often with exemptions for vulnerable population groups. International evidence demonstrates that cost-sharing for medicines may delay necessary care, increase use of other forms of healthcare and result in poorer health outcomes. Existing studies concentrate on adults and older people, particularly in the US, with relatively less attention afforded to paediatric and European populations. In Ireland, prescription drug co-payments were introduced for the first time for medical cardholders (i.e. those with public health insurance) in October 2010, initially at a cost of €0.50 per item, rising to €1.50 in January 2013, and further increasing to €2.50 in December 2013. Using data from the Growing Up in Ireland longitudinal study of children, and a difference-in-difference research design, we estimate the impact of the introduction (and increase) of these co-payments on health, healthcare utilisation and household financial wellbeing. The introduction of modest co-payments on prescription items was not estimated to impinge on the health of children and parents from low-income families. For the younger Infant Cohort, difference-in-difference estimates indicated that the introduction (and increase) in co-payments was associated with a decrease in GP visits and hospital nights, and a decrease in the proportion of households reporting 'difficulties with making ends meet'. In contrast, for the older cohort of children (the Child Cohort), co-payments were associated with an increase in GP visiting, and an increase in household deprivation. While the parallel trends assumption for difference-in-difference analysis appeared to be satisfied, further investigation revealed that there were other time-varying observable factors (such as exposure to the economic recession over the period) that affected the treatment and control groups, as well as the two cohorts of children differentially, that may partly explain these divergent results. For example, while the analysis suggests that the introduction of the €0.50 co-payment in 2010 was associated with an increase in the probability of treated families in the Child Cohort being deprived by 9.4 percentage points, the proportion of treated families experiencing unemployment and reductions in household income also increased significantly around the time of the co-payment introduction. This highlights the difficulty in identifying the effect of the co-payment policy in an environment in which assignment to the treatment (i.e. medical cardholder status) was not randomly assigned.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gretta Mohan
- Economic and Social Research Institute, Whitaker Square, Sir John Rogerson's Quay, Dublin 2, D02 K138, Ireland.
- The Irish Longitudinal Study On Ageing, Lincoln Gate, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland.
| | - Anne Nolan
- Economic and Social Research Institute, Whitaker Square, Sir John Rogerson's Quay, Dublin 2, D02 K138, Ireland
- The Irish Longitudinal Study On Ageing, Lincoln Gate, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
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Galbraith AA, Carroll AE, Christakis D. JAMA Pediatrics Call for Papers on Election-Year Policies and Children's Health. JAMA Pediatr 2019; 173:813-814. [PMID: 31329219 DOI: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2019.2636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alison A Galbraith
- Center for Healthcare Research in Pediatrics, Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.,Associate Editor, JAMA Pediatrics
| | - Aaron E Carroll
- Associate Editor, JAMA Pediatrics.,Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis
| | - Dimitri Christakis
- Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle.,Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle.,Editor, JAMA Pediatrics
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