1. CAAP Rule and Prescription Drug Prices.
- Author
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Walsh, Bryan S. and Kesselheim, Aaron S.
- Subjects
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USER charges , *LEGISLATION , *PHARMACEUTICAL services insurance -- Law & legislation , *ECONOMICS , *THERAPEUTICS , *MANAGED care programs , *HEALTH services accessibility , *ATTITUDE (Psychology) , *MEDICAL care costs , *MEDICAL care use , *HOSPITAL pharmacies , *GOVERNMENT programs , *COST effectiveness , *HEALTH insurance , *GENERIC drugs , *PHARMACEUTICAL industry , *MEDICAL care of poor people , *PUBLIC welfare ,DRUGS & economics ,PATIENT Protection & Affordable Care Act - Abstract
In response to brand-name drug manufacturers developing co-pay assistance programs to help patients pay high out- of-pocket costs for expensive brand-name drugs, insurers have developed co-pay accumulator adjustment programs (CAAPs) that exclude payments made by drug manufacturer assistance programs when calculating whether beneficiaries have met their yearly out-of-pocket maximums. By doing so, these programs are intended to drive beneficiaries to lower-priced generic alternatives. A rule finalized in July 2020 makes such programs permissible even when a brand- name drug does not have a generic or medically appropriate alternative, while not requiring transparency from payers about the existence of such programs. This commentary explains how CAAPs work and how this finalized rule may affect spending on prescription drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
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