Out-of-Pocket Insulin Caps Boost Savings — But Not Insulin Use
While out-of-pocket caps on insulin indeed cut down on costs for commercially insured patients in the U.S., the policies didn’t do much to increase insulin use, claims data showed. After such policies were implemented in eight such states, insulin users under age 65 had a 17.4% (95% CI -23.9 to -10.9) relative reduction in costs […]
Co-Pays Hurt PrEP Use, Study Suggests
Higher out-of-pocket costs for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) were projected to lead to more people discontinuing PrEP altogether in a new analysis, raising concerns about a possible rise in HIV infections. Risk-adjusted abandonment rates climbed from 5.5% among patients with no cost sharing to a projected 42.6% for patients with $500 out-of-pocket costs in a […]
Lawmakers, Experts on PBMs: ‘Gangsters’ or Scapegoats in the Drug Price Wars?
Expert witnesses and lawmakers tussled over who is really to blame for high drug costs during a hearing focused on pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) held by the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability on Tuesday. While PBMs are meant to lower costs by negotiating rebates on a drug’s list price, multiple experts have noted that […]
MedPAC Considers Reference Pricing and Other Ideas for Cutting Part B Drug Costs
Congress will need to use a multipronged approach to bring down prescription drug costs in the Medicare Part B program, members of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) agreed at their March meeting on Thursday. MedPAC members discussed three draft recommendations being considered for inclusion in the commission’s June report to Congress. The recommendations addressed […]
GOP Objections Kill Proposed Cap On Insulin Costs In Private Insurance
A proposal to cap insulin costs for people with private insurance won’t be part of the sweeping climate and health care legislation that Senate Democrats are about to pass after Republicans moved to strip it out of the bill on Sunday. The Democratic proposal needed 60 votes to survive, but only seven Republicans joined the […]
4D composite printing can improve the wings of drones
The aviation industry faces multiple pressures from higher fuel costs and increased scrutiny over the environmental and quality-of-life impacts from its aircraft. Researchers are looking for new methods of keeping expenses down while improving overall efficiency, and the relatively new market of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) — or drones — is no exception. UAVs are […]
Subsidy would improve fruit and veggie intake by as much as 15%, say economists
High fixed costs for retailing fresh fruit and vegetables means that they cost 40% more than would be efficient, unlike unhealthy alternatives, which trade close to marginal cost, a new study demonstrates. Introducing a subsidy to counteract the price distortion and reduce the cost of fruit and vegetables will change diets in a way that […]
Air Ambulance Costs Are Soaring
Air ambulance transport costs have skyrocketed in recent years, according to a new report from FAIR Health. Notably, the average estimated in-network allowed amount for air ambulance transport increased 76.4%, from $8,855 in 2017 to $15,624 in 2020. The jump was part of a general rise in costs for both airplane and helicopter air ambulance […]