| Copayments and the Demand for Prescription Drugs Contributor(s): Esposito, Domenico (Author) |
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ISBN: 0415701457 ISBN-13: 9780415701457 Publisher: Routledge OUR PRICE: $161.50 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: March 2006 Annotation: Increasing prescription drug cost-sharing by patients - in the form of increasing copayments - is one of the most striking, and controversial, developments in the health sector over recent years. Debate over the exact nature and use of copayments by health care insurers continues to be hotly debated by experts in the private and public sectors. Differential copayments for medically equivalent alternatives is one strategy insurers use to affect the choice of one drug over another when they face different prices for each drug. This book's results suggest that differences in copayments influence choice, shifting market share for these drugs. This detailed and meticulously researched study is one of the first of its kind: it examines the influence of copayments on the choice of prescription drugs. Relative copayments for therapeutcially equivalent drugs, imposed by insurers, are shown to have a significant impact on consumer choice - the implication being that physicians are acting in patients' financial, as well as medical interest. Unlike much work in this area, "Copayments and the Demand for" "Prescription Drugs" is not sponsored by any drug company; and its up-to-date results, established on a firm scientific basis, are entirely unbiased. Its results have applications for the private insurance and pharmaceutical sectors as well as the public sector. It will be of great interest to professionals and researchers in the fields of health economics, economic and healthcare policy-making, and microeconomics. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Business & Economics | Insurance - Health - Business & Economics | Economics - General - Business & Economics | Economic Conditions |
| Dewey: 368.382 |
| LCCN: 2005026760 |
| Physical Information: 0.56" H x 6.3" W x 9.26" (0.82 lbs) 154 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Increasing prescription drug cost-sharing by patients - in the form of increasing copayments - is one of the most striking, and controversial, developments in the health sector over recent years. The exact nature and use of copayments by health care insurers continues to be hot topic of debate. This detailed and meticulously researched study is one of the first of its kind: its results suggest that differences in copayments influence choice, shifting market share for these drugs. Differential copayments for medically equivalent alternatives is one strategy insurers use to affect the choice of one drug over another when faced with differing prices. Relative copayments for therapeutically equivalent drugs, imposed by insurers, are shown to have a significant impact on consumer choice - the implication being that physicians are acting in patients' financial, as well as medical interest. Unlike much work in this area, Copayments and the Demand for Prescription Drugs is not sponsored by any drug company; and its up-to-date results, established on a firm scientific basis, are entirely unbiased. Its results have applications for the private insurance and pharmaceutical sectors as well as the public sector, and it will be of great interest to professionals and researchers in the fields of health economics, economic and healthcare policy-making, and microeconomics: its primary findings are especially critical to the United States public health sector which is on the cusp of providing a prescription drug benefit to nearly forty million elderly Americans. |