Obamacare plans bring hefty fees for certain drugs
March 22, 2014 at 12:51 PM
(AP) -- Breast cancer survivor Ginny Mason was thrilled to get health coverage under the Affordable Care Act despite her pre-existing condition. But when she realized her arthritis medication fell under a particularly costly tier of her plan, she was forced to switch to another brand.
Under the plan, her Celebrex would have cost $648 a month until she met her $1,500 prescription deductible, followed by an $85 monthly co-pay.
Mason is one of the many Americans with serious illnesses -- including cancer, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis -- who are indeed finding relatively low monthly premiums under President Barack Obama's law. But some have been shocked at how much their prescriptions are costing as insurers are sorting drug prices into a complex tier system and in some cases charging co-insurance rates as high as 50 percent. That can leave patients on the hook for thousands.
Avalere Health, a market research and consulting firm, estimates some consumers will pay half the cost of their specialty drugs under health overhaul-related plans, while customers in the private market typically pay no more than a third. Patient advocates worry that insurers may be trying to discourage chronically ill patients from enrolling by putting high cost drugs onto specialty tiers.
More: http://www.cleveland.com/healthfit/index.ssf/2014/03/obamacare_plans_bring_hefty_fe.html
frazzled
(18,402 posts)How many times do we have to explain this to people?
JoePhilly
(27,787 posts)questionseverything
(9,664 posts)the evil insurance companies in charge
Doctor_J
(36,392 posts)that's whatn most of us don't like about it
JoePhilly
(27,787 posts)There were problems that existed before the ACA.
Although the ACA resolved many problems, it did not resolve them all. And no one thought it did.
Well, apparently some thought it did.
djean111
(14,255 posts)Should have named the ACA the Affordable Insurance Act.
historylovr
(1,557 posts)antigop
(12,778 posts)" insurers may be trying to discourage chronically ill patients from enrolling by putting high cost drugs onto specialty tiers. "