Survey Finds Tennesseans Are Being Forced Off Of Prescribed Medications by Insurance Companies
By a
This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161128005555/en/
"Although many consumers may not realize it, insurers presently are allowed to reduce drug coverage at any time during the plan year," stated
While consumer fairness is a main concern, patients and providers argue non-medical switching is harmful to patient health and undermines providers' effort to do what's best for their patients. The GHLF survey aimed to explore the prevalence and impact of non-medical switching. The survey found that nearly three out of five (58%) Tennesseans with chronic illness have had their insurance company make changes to their health plan's formulary that reduced coverage of their prescribed medication. The reduction in coverage was so dramatic that the primary medication they were using to control the symptoms and progression of their disease became suddenly and significantly more expensive. In fact, more than two-thirds of the respondents (67%) were unable to afford the increase in out-of-pocket prices and were forced to switch to an entirely different medication. Medication Switching Disrupts Care and Leads to Negative Health Consequences Non-medical switching resulted in a large majority of survey respondents (68%) trialing multiple medications before finding another drug that satisfactorily worked for them. Perhaps most important, the findings suggest that the practice of non-medical switching yields negative outcomes for the patient population, as an overwhelming majority (66%) of survey respondents reported that their new medication, after switching, was less effective. Nearly everyone (89%) experienced worse side effects compared to their previous medication.
"Patients and providers work for months, even years, to find a drug that stabilizes their health," stated
Beyond the health and cost implications, the survey found almost half (44%) of all respondents never received notifications from their insurer (letters, emails or phone calls) detailing their plan's midyear formulary changes or modifications being made to their health plan coverage.
The coalition is advocating to eliminate non-medical switching by private health plans. It includes GHLF, the
"We formed this coalition to demonstrate that both patients and health care professionals have real and urgent concerns about how easily insurance companies disrupt the treatment of people in
An executive summary and infographic detailing additional survey results is available on the GHLF website at https://creakyjoints.org/tennessee-patient-sentiment-toward-non-medical-drug-switching/.
A diverse sample of 85
Non-medical switching can be very harmful to patients. As a result of being switched from their original, provider-prescribed medication, patients may experience additional side effects, symptoms, disease progression, and even relapse. Beyond the immeasurable impact of this unnecessary suffering, the negative effects of non-medical switching can result in additional medical appointments, emergency room visits and even hospitalization, thereby actually increasing overall healthcare utilization costs. About Global Healthy Living Foundation
Keywords for this news article include: Arthritis, Managed Care, Rheumatology, Chronic Disease, Disease Attributes, Diagnostics and Screening, Joint Diseases and Conditions,
Our reports deliver fact-based news of research and discoveries from around the world. Copyright 2016, NewsRx LLC
Premier Inc. Top Rated Overall in KLAS 2016 Healthcare Management Consulting Report
New Health Insurance Findings from University of Pennsylvania Described (Marketplace Plans With Narrow Physician Networks Feature Lower Monthly…
Advisor News
Annuity News
Health/Employee Benefits News
Life Insurance News