Friday, February 15, 2019

Hepatitis C and HIV/AIDS Medications Costliest Group of Outpatient Prescription Drugs for Medicaid

Kaiser Family Foundation
Analysis Finds that Medications for Hepatitis C and HIV/AIDS Are the Costliest Group of Outpatient Prescription Drugs for Medicaid, While Diabetes Drugs Have Posted the Sharpest Rise in Costs 
Chris Lee
Published: Feb 15, 2019
Antiviral medications, including those that treat hepatitis C and HIV/AIDS, cost the Medicaid program more money (before rebates) than any other group of outpatient prescription drugs for each year from 2014 to 2017, according to a new KFF analysis.

The analysis of utilization and spending trends finds that antivirals accounted for more than 13 percent of the $63.6 billion in Medicaid outpatient drug spending pre-rebates in 2017 — a level disproportionate to their utilization and a reflection of the high cost of these drugs. Drugs for diabetes were the second most costly group that year, accounting for 10 percent of Medicaid outpatient drug spending before rebates. Spending for diabetes drugs rose faster than for any other group, nearly doubling from 2014 to 2017 — largely due to the rising price of insulin.




On This Blog 
Link to research and news articles addressing the high cost of hepatitis C drugs; insurance restrictions implemented by private insurers/Medicaid/Medicare and the effectiveness, safety and availability of generic versions of hepatitis C medications. 

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