Medicare’s $35 Insulin Cap Lowered Beneficiary Costs, Increased Use for Some
The monthly spending limit improved adherence among insulin users who previously had especially high costs, Schaeffer researchers found.
Sood explains why many states capped insulin costs
State Mandates to Cap Out-of-Pocket Insulin Costs Are No Longer Necessary
State laws capping patients’ out-of-pocket insulin costs, though well-intentioned, have had limited impact.
Insulin Fills by Medicare Enrollees and Out-of-Pocket Caps Under the Inflation Reduction Act
This study uses data from IQVIA’s National Prescription Audit to assess the association of the Inflation Reduction Act’s cap on cost sharing with insulin fills.
Inflation Reduction Act’s Cap on Insulin Out-of-Pocket Costs Boosts Prescription Fills
Published in JAMA, the findings from USC and University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers suggest the policy cut the number of Medicare enrollees who weren’t filling insulin because of cost.
Eli Lilly Is Cutting Insulin Prices and Capping Copays at $35 – 5 Questions Answered
The drugmaker’s move responded to the growing competition that has shaken up the insulin market in recent years.
Who Is Really Driving Up Insulin Costs?
In the long term, capping insulin payments at $35 a month is just shuffling the deck rather than changing the game of insulin costs.
The Price of Insulin, Explained
This animation explains research by Schaeffer Center experts that offers one of the most comprehensive looks at the insulin distribution chain and shows which players are profiting, and by how much, from selling insulin.
Middlemen, Not Drug Companies, Are Pushing Up Insulin Prices, and Congress Doesn’t Have the Right Plan to Fight Back
Congress should take advantage of the current political climate and start reining in the intermediaries in the drug distribution system.
Estimation of the Share of Net Expenditures on Insulin Captured by US Manufacturers, Wholesalers, Pharmacy Benefit Managers, Pharmacies, and Health Plans From 2014 to 2018
Recent US media and policy attention on insulin affordability has focused on the role of manufacturers in setting prices; however, the role of other drug distribution intermediaries in determining prices has received less attention.
More than Half of Insulin Expenditures Going to Middlemen, New USC Schaeffer Study Finds
Schaeffer research offers one of the most comprehensive looks at the insulin distribution chain and shows which players are profiting, and by how much, from selling insulin.
Untangling the Price of Insulin
Despite its discovery nearly 100 years ago, insulin’s list price has been going up, not down. Schaeffer Center researchers analyze the flow of money across all distribution system participants—manufacturers, wholesalers, pharmacies, pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), and health plans.
Monthly Cost Sharing Doubles Throughout the Year for Some Medicare Insulin Users
Schaeffer Center researchers examined how use of insulin changes as cost-sharing fluctuates over the course of the year for Medicare Part D beneficiaries.
Washington Is on the Verge of True PBM Reform
Congress and regulators at last are converging on a practical, market-based response to align PBMs’ incentives with employers and patients.
The Case for Expanding Access to Weight-Loss Medications
Widespread access to GLP-1 therapies could generate significant benefits to society and produce huge savings for Medicare, Schaeffer research shows.
Schaeffer Research Helps Reshape Federal Oversight of Pharmacy Benefit Managers
Recent reform legislation, a settlement on PBM practices, and proposed transparency rules have been informed by Schaeffer’s extensive research on how the intermediaries affect drug spending, patient costs and access.
USC Researchers Reboot National Pharmacy Desert Map Amid Wave of Drugstore Closures
The revamped platform helps policymakers and journalists identify neighborhoods that are losing their local pharmacies.
Cui Bono? Misaligned Incentives in the 340B Program
340B providers leverage spread pricing to generate revenue, creating unintended consequences in the broader healthcare market. This white paper addresses potential opportunities to restructure program benefits.
Testimony on Competition Issues in the Prescription Drug Supply Chain
Implementing reforms that increase transparency, align incentives and restore competition can ensure that PBMs fulfill their intended role: helping to make prescription drugs more affordable and accessible for all Americans.
Future Elderly Model (FEM)
The Future Elderly Model (FEM) is an economic-demographic microsimulation developed over the last decade by researchers with funding from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the National Institute on Aging, the Department of Labor and the MacArthur Foundation. Its development is led by the Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics with collaborators from Harvard…