Approaches to Helping the Under-Insured
September 2008
Agenda
Sharing Perspectives on Helping the Under-Insured:
• A Patient
• A Co-Pay Assistance Non-Profit
• An Insurance Company
• A Physician
• A Pharmacist
• Questions?
Page 2
A Patient’s Perspective
Page 3
Judy Hodges
Breast Cancer Patient
A Patient’s Perspective
Page 4
“I sat in the oncologist’s office and kept saying, I
don’t have the money , but I’m not going to die
because I can’t pay for this. I am not going to die
because I am underinsured.”
Judy Hodges, PAN Patient
A Non-Profit Perspective
Page 5
Julie Reynes
PresidentPatient Access Network Foundation
Why Co-Payment Assistance?
Pharmacy cost trends upward exceeded all other components of medical care from 2007 - 2008.
Source: 2008 Milliman Medical IndexPage 6
Why Co-Payment Assistance?
• Prescription drugs have the largest co-payments
• Prescription drug costs are estimated to continue increasing in the near term
• Physicians and hospitals have the flexibility to reduce or waive their fees for lower income patients
• If a patient can obtain the thousands of dollars it may cost to access their medications, they will be more likely to get treatment
‘We found that reductions in drug copayments increased medical adherence.’ Michael E. Chernew, Health Affairs, Jan-Feb 2008
Source: 2008 Milliman Medical IndexPage 7
Patient Access Network
Dedicated to improving access to needed health services for insured patients who cannot afford the out-of-pocket costs
associated with their treatment.
• A 501(c)(3) public charity that launched our initial assistance program in October, 2004.
• Currently supports 20 disease-state funds for oncology and chronic diseases.
• Provides co-pay assistance of from $1500 - $7500 per year for medications.
• Received favorable advisory opinion from the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) of the Department of Health and Human Services in December 2007.
• Have approved nearly 50,000 patients for cost-sharing assistance.
Page 8
The Need for Co-pay Assistance from PAN is Increasing
Demand is increasing by over
30% each year, while revenues remain stable
Source: Patient Access Network Data, 2004 - 2007Page 9
Projected2008
An Insurance Company’sPerspective
Page 10
Gary Owens
Physician and Consultant Providing the Insurance Company’s Perspective
Biotech Drugs in Development
Source: BCBSA Medical Cost Trend Report 2007
Biotech Drugs as a Growth Area
Sources: CMS National Healthcare Expenditure Projection 2003-2013
Biotech Drugs as a Growth Area
Biotech Drug Spending
What Does This Mean to a Plan?
• In 2007 Specialty Pharmacy spend was approximately 11.4% of total pharmacy spend (and was over 1/3 of the total trend driver)
• The year over year specialty trend was 12.3%
• Unit cost was responsible for 8.4% with utilization making up the other 3.9%
• Top three categories of specialty drug spending:
– Autoimmune diseases (Rheumatoid arthritis, Psoriasis, Lupus)
– Cancer
– Multiple sclerosis
13
Biotech Drugs and the Health Plan
• Health plans recognize that new drugs and new uses of existing drugs are creating revolutionary treatment advances.
• Coverage of drugs is essential and important for any health benefit plan.
• Purchasers are looking to plans to manage costs or pass excess cost on to the consumer
• Balancing the need of the purchaser with the needs of the consumer is difficult
• Not creating access problems for members is important.
• But so is keeping the plans affordable.
Disease Specific Examples of Drug Cost
Chronic Condition Medication Examples Estimated Cost/year
Hepatitis C Pegasys, Peg-Intron, Infergen $30,000
Multiple Sclerosis Betaseron, Avonex, Copaxone $12,000-$15000
Breast Cancer Docetaxel, Adriamycin, Herceptin, Tykerb
$12,000-$50,000
Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Docetaxel, Carboplatin, Avastin $20,000-$60,000
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Enbrel, Remicaid, Humira, Kineret, Rituxan
$15,000-$20,000
Pulmonary Hypertension
Flolan, Tracleer, Remodulen $65,000-$100,000
Guacher’s Disease Cerezume, Zavesca $150,000-$250,000
15Sources: 2008 Medco Drug Trend Report, Specialty Pharmacy News, October 2006
The Issues for Plans
Page 16
• As cost of therapy increase, the cost of providing care also increases
• With purchasers pressure on controlling costs, plans have looked for new ways to involve patients in the management of costs.
• However increasing co-payments and moving drugs to co-insurance tiers have brought about access issues for some patients
• Plans increasingly look to external resources to assist members get access to care
Plan Assistance to Members
• Plans provide case managers to work with patients
• These case managers can do any or all of the following:
– Educate members about the medication and the need for compliance
– Help the patient access benefits in the most cost effective way
– Help the patient discuss treatment options with their physicians and perhaps find less costly, yet clinically effective treatments
– Help the patients locate sources of financial assistance
– Inform physicians of plan benefits and options for members.
• Remember, we are all in this together and the goal of patients, physicians and plans is to provide access to high quality, yet affordable care.
17
A Physician’s Perspective
Page 18
Allan B. Goldstein, MD
Physician and Consultant
The Problem of Financial Barriers
Page 19
Office Visit Co-Pay• $30 – 50 out-of-pocket for each office visit• For weekly visits, $120-200 per month, $1,500-2,600 per yr
Oral Medication Co-Pay• Higher co-pay for brand (tier 2) and non-preferred (tier 3) meds
Parenteral Biologics• Increasingly subject to 20% co-insurance (tier 4)• Yearly costs for biologics may reach $100,000 or more• Co-insurance may be $20,000+ per year
Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage (Part D)
Page 20
• Premium: $0-100+ per month
• Deductible: $275 per year
• Coinsurance: $559 (25% of first $2,510)
• “Donut Hole”: $3,216 (no coverage $2,510 to $5,726)
• Total Out-of-Pocket $4,050 excludes monthly premium
• “Catastrophic” Coverage: patient pays 5% of any
expenses over $5,726
Total Out-of-Pocket = Lots!
The Scope of the Problem
Page 21
Endocrinology
Gastroenterology
Hematology
Neurology
Oncology
Pediatrics
Pulmonology
Rheumatology
Some Specialties Impacted:
The Scope of the Problem
Page 22
AnemiaBreast CancerColorectal CancerCutaneous T-Cell LymphomaLung CancerMultiple MyelomaMyelodysplastic SyndromeNon-Hodgkin’s LymphomaPancreatic Cancer
Some Diagnoses Impacted:
Rheumatoid ArthritisPsoriatic ArthritisAnkylosing SpondylitisCrohn’s DiseaseCystic FibrosisMultiple SclerosisGaucher’s diseaseGrowth Hormone Deficiency
Physician Responses
Page 23
• Absorb the co-pay
• Collect the co-pay up front
• Refer to hospital or clinic
• Stop providing infusion services in the office
• Employ sub-optimal treatment regimen
• Hire staff to conduct financial evaluation
• Identify and counsel patients unable to meet out-
of-pocket requirements
Consequences for Patients
Page 24
• Disruption of the patient/physician relationship
• Increased travel and inconvenience
• Financial stress or distress
• Failure to take medications
• Sub-optimal treatment
• Clinical deterioration and/or disease process progression
The underinsurance challenges may negatively impact the patient’s health.
A Pharmacist’s Perspective
Page 25
Edith Rosato, PharmD
Senior Vice President, Pharmacy Affairs and National Association of Chain Drug Stores
Foundation
National Spending on HealthcareCost increases for hospital outpatient services and prescription drugs continue to outpace those for inpatient and physician services.
Annual Per Capita Percentage Change in Health Care Spending, by Category of Service, 2001-2006
Source: Bradley C. Strunk, Paul B. Ginsburg, and John P. Cookson. "Tracking Health Care Costs: Declining Growth Trend Pauses In 2004." Health Affairs Web Exclusive, June 21, 2005; and Ginsburg,
Paul B., Bradley C. Strunk, Michelle I. Banker, and John P. Cookson. "Tracking Health Care Costs: Continued Stability But At High Rates In 2005." Health Affairs Web Exclusive, Oct. 3, 2006.
The Underinsured: Coping With Rising Prescription Drug Costs
• Represent 25M in 2007 and rising
• 72M or 41% of working-age adults have problems paying medical bills– 29% unable to pay for basic necessities– 39% use savings– 30% take on credit card debt
• 46% skimp on medications
• 33% compared to 19% of adequately insured used ER
• The uninsured population compounds this issue
Sources: The Commonwealth Fund, Biennial Health Insurance Surveys, August 2008
The Current State of Medication Adherence in the U.S.
• Estimated annual costs to the healthcare system: $177B
• Only 50% of patients take medications as prescribed
• Reasons for non-compliance:– Cost– Forgetfulness– Denial of the illness– Misunderstanding of the directions– Lack of understanding of the disease– Lack of symptoms
• Impact of chronic disease: – 130M patients (45% of population); 7-10 deaths annually– $1.3 Trillion annual drag on economy – Represents 91% of all prescriptions filled
The Result is a Significant Public Health Crisis
Sources: National Council on Patient Information and Education, “Enhancing Prescription Medicine Adherence: A National Action Plan”. August 2007
Community Pharmacy Response
• Many chains have introduced prescription savings
programs to assist the uninsured or underinsured
• Covers prescription brand and generic drugs, preventative and lifestyle drugs, vision, dental and hearing…even pet meds
Other Discounted Drug Programs and Financial Assistance Programs
HealthCare Club of America
Retail Clinics
• Health and wellness destination
• Offers affordable healthcare
• One-stop shopping convenience
Government Programs
• Health Resource Services Administration 340B Program– Safety Net Clinics
• Medicare Part D: Covering the “donut hole” patients
• SCHIP: America’s Promise Alliance and All Kids Covered
Healthcare Reform Debate: Opportunity to Advocate for Patients
• High quality, affordable and accessible healthcare coverage should be the goal of any reform proposal
• Cost-sharing, such as patient co-pays, should be set at affordable levels and not prevent patients from seeking appropriate medical care
• Patients should have access to the most cost-effective medication to treat their condition
• Lower cost, equally effective generic medications should be encouraged
• Preventative services such as medication therapy management should be encouraged
Role of the Pharmacist
• Convenient, highly accessible community based health resource for patients
• Pharmacists are knowledgeable about available programs for uninsured and underinsured patients
• Encourage patients to utilize and interact with their pharmacists
Conclusions
Page 35
• Patients are making life or death decisions based on their ability to pay for healthcare
• Each healthcare component is trying to help in its own way
• Medication costs are a large component of the challenge.
• Each healthcare component has constraints imposed by the government, stockholders, funding, etc.
• Many challenges remain
• Healthcare reform is likely to create new challenges
Questions?