NBER Releases Cost-Sharing Report: Drug Price Increases Associated With Increased Mortality

The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) has released a report on how cost-sharing affects patient care. The authors found that a price increase of approximately $10.40 per drug leads to a 22.6 % decrease in use of prescription drugs. The price increase also corresponds to a significant increase in mortality. The authors call for a closer look into how cost-sharing affects outcomes.

The authors note, “We find no indication that these reductions in demand affect only ‘low-value’ drugs; on the contrary, those at the highest risk of heart attack and stroke, who would benefit the most from statins and antihypertensives, cut back more on these drugs than lower risk patients.”Learn more here.

(Source: Chandra et al., NBER, 2/2021)