A while back I wrote about drug company copay assistance programs. The purpose of these is to entice patients to use higher-cost brand drugs by blunting health plan incentives for enrollees to choose lower-cost drug options.
Category: Public Insurance
Insulin
Before a Trump executive order, employers could not provide free or subsidized insulin to their diabetic employees without sacrificing the employees’ right to have a Health Savings Account. This meant that employees had to spend their entire health insurance deductible out of pocket before any employer cost sharing took effect. The Trump administration’s change leaves employers and employees free to engage in the kind of cost-sharing arrangements that make economic and health care sense.
Managed Competition Exposed
You can find competing private health insurance plans with community rated premiums and government sponsored risk adjustment in Belgium, Germany, Israel, the Netherlands and Switzerland – where participation is mandatory. Ireland and Australia have voluntary enrollment, as does Medicare Advantage and the (Obamacare) marketplaces in the United States.
Friday Links
Telemedicine is being used for assisted dying.
Why was a Texas woman charged with murder over a self-induced abortion?
Will 10,000 steps a day make you healthier? No. 7,000 steps seems to get the job done.
Why do companies invest in finding drugs to treat rare diseases?
How did the Middle Ages respond to the Back Death? With price controls and more. (recommended)