Policy recommendations for public health plans to stem the escalating costs of prescription drugs: A position paper from the American College of Physicians

Abstract

The increasing price of prescription drugs is an ongoing concern for Medicare and Medicaid, particularly for patients with chronic health conditions who are using multiple medications and patients in these programs taking high-priced brand-name specialty drugs. Shifts in benefit design, including higher deductibles and a movement away from copayments to coinsurance, have increased patient out-of-pocket costs and put pressure on program budgets. In this paper, the American College of Physicians expands on its position paper from 2016 and offers additional recommendations to decrease out-of-pocket costs for patients, enhance the government's purchasing power, and address existing policies that add costs to the health care system.