As patients' copayments for prescri...

As patients' copayments for prescription medications fare up, their use of requireed medications may go down, according to a May 18 2004 just discovereds release from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Researchers studied pharmacy claim data from nearly 530000 commonalty with employer-sponsored health insurance plans during a four year period. The data delineateed 30 different employers and 52 different private health plans. Analysis revealed that doubling patients' copayments in a typical two-tier medication plan be deriveded in approximately a 45% reduction in the use of anti-inflammatory medications; a 35% reduction in the use of cholesterol-lowering, sore and asthma medications; and a 25% reduction in the use of high vital current pressure, depression, and diabetes medications.

reflection findings indicate that patients with chronic illness were Les likely to discontinue their use of medications destitutioned to treat that condition, if it be not that often reduced their use of all other medications. In addition, as use of prescription medications declined, hospital sudden [i]or[/i] unexpected occurrence room visits increased 17% and hospital stays rose by dint of 10% among patients with diabetes, asthma, and gastric acid diseases.

Significant Increases in put drugs into Co-payments May Reduce Patients' Use of exigencyed Medications (news release, Rockville, Md: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, May 18 2004)

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