prescription drugs

States Take the Lead with Policies to Protect Residents with Chronic Conditions from High Out-of-Pocket Drug Costs

Posted September 12, 2017 by CHIR Faculty

Lowering the cost of prescription medication has broad support over the political spectrum and there were many campaign promises to reduce prices. But to date, there’s been little federal action. States, however, are taking the lead with policies designed to protect consumers with chronic conditions from high out-of-pocket costs associated with expensive specialty drugs. A new CHIR brief details the findings from a 50-state survey of such policies and observations from supplementary interviews with state regulators, insurance company representatives and consumer advocates.

State Efforts to Reduce Consumers’ Cost-Sharing for Prescription Drugs

Posted November 18, 2015 by

High drug prices have been in the news lately, and consumers are bearing an ever-greater burden of those drug prices through health plan cost-sharing. In their latest post for the Commonwealth Fund, CHIR researchers Sabrina Corlette, Ashley Williams and Justin Giovannelli analyze state policies to try to protect consumers from high drug costs.

READ THE FINE PRINT: A New Provision in BCBS of Mississippi Plan Could Mean Huge Unexpected Costs for Plan Enrollees

Posted March 7, 2014 by CHIR Faculty

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mississippi has included a new provision in its plan description that could mean huge costs for plan participants. The new policy does not cover prescription drugs prescribed by out-of-network providers. How does this policy square with the ACA? And what does it mean for consumers? Elissa Dines discusses.