Copayment Reductions Generate Greater Medication Adherence in Targeted Patients

In: Health Affairs (Project Hope)
By: Maciejewski ML, Farley JF, Parker J, and Wansink D
Publisher: Project HOPE
Published: 11/1/2010

A large value-based insurance design program offered by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina eliminated generic medication copayments and reduced copayments for brand-name medications.

This study showed that the program improved adherence to medications for diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia and congestive heart failure. The researchers found that adherence improved for enrollees, ranging from a gain of 3.8 percentage points for patients with diabetes to 1.5 percentage points for those taking calcium-channel blockers, when compared to others whose employers did not offer a similar program.

An examination of longer-term adherence and trends in health care spending is still needed to provide a compelling evidence base for value-based insurance design

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