University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine Researcher Targets Multiple Sclerosis (The impact of medical insurance on health care access and quality for people with multiple sclerosis in the United States: A scoping review): Autoimmune Diseases and Conditions – Multiple Sclerosis

2023 OCT 04 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Research findings on multiple sclerosis are discussed in a new report. According to news reporting out of Los Angeles, California, by NewsRx editors, research stated, “In the United States, health insurance coverage and quality mediate access to health care, a key social determinant of health. To perform a scoping review regarding the impact of insurance coverage and benefit design on health care access and both clinical and quality of life outcomes in people with MS (pwMS).”

The news journalists obtained a quote from the research from University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine: “Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines were followed. A literature search was conducted from January 2010 to February 2022. Included studies were in English, peer-reviewed, US-based, and evaluated elements of insurance and their relationship with access and quality outcomes for adult pwMS. Our search identified 1619 articles, of which 32 met inclusion criteria. Privately insured pwMS were more likely to be on disease-modifying therapy (DMT). Increased out-of-pocket spending was associated with lower DMT adherence and greater discontinuation rates. Access to specialty pharmacy programs was associated with improved DMT adherence.”

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: “Health insurance coverage and design strongly influences health care for pwMS in the United States and may be a modifiable social determinant of health. Increased pharmaceutical cost-sharing is associated with declines in DMT utilization and adherence. Further study is needed to better characterize the impacts of other core elements of health insurance, including prior authorization requirements and step therapy.”

For more information on this research see: The impact of medical insurance on health care access and quality for people with multiple sclerosis in the United States: A scoping review. Multiple Sclerosis Journal, 2023. The publisher for Multiple Sclerosis Journal is SAGE Publications.

A free version of this journal article is available at https://doi.org/10.1177/13524585231197275.

Our news editors report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Nuriel Moghavem, Nuriel Moghavem Lilyana Amezcua Multiple Sclerosis Center, Department of Neurology, University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, United States. Additional authors for this research include Gloria del Rosario Castaneda, Amy J Chatfield, Lilyana Amezcua.

ORCID is an identifier for authors and includes bibliographic information. The following is ORCID information for the authors of this research: Nuriel Moghavem (http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2959-1943), Amy J Chatfield (http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9666-0318), Lilyana Amezcua (http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1542-7819).

(Our reports deliver fact-based news of research and discoveries from around the world.)