To Pay or not to Pay

Some people with MS have been finding that it is either one or the other. Pharmacy benefits manager Prime Therapeutics (Prime) assembled a team to examine the correlation between high out-of-pocket expenses for medication and those who decide not to fill their MS prescriptions. Research results showed that a daunting 1 out of 4 people with MS are not getting the medications they need due to high costs.

According to the study, the majority of individuals had an out-of-pocket expense of $150 or less and their decline to fill rate was 5.8 percent. For individuals with an out-of-pocket expense of greater than $150 the decline to fill rate was 27.0 percent.

Patrick Gleason, PharmD, FCCP, BCPS, lead author and Director of Clinical Outcomes Assessment at Prime Therapeutics, believes that, “Patients who aren't taking their medications face serious medical and health complications, which could result in substantial medical or hospitalization expenses for both the patient and health insurer.”

If you have previously experienced the dilemma of choosing between filling your medications and suffering from high expenses, or not filling and saving money, we would love to hear your story and any comments/concerns you may have.