LANSING – A report announced on Monday ranks insurance plans by how accessible they make prescription drugs will allow patients to compare prescription coverage plans offered by different insurance companies, force plans to compete, and ease the racial and socio-economic disparity in health care coverage.
The report, which can be found at Grand Rapids African American Health Institute, found that Michigan patients enrolled in Medicaid HMO plans generally experience more barriers to obtaining their prescribed medications than those who are using commercial insurance.
That creates racial disparity because a disproportionate number of black Michigan residents (30 percent) rely on Medicaid compared to 9 percent of white residents, the report said.
When people have more hurdles to jump to get their medication, or have to pay more out of pocket costs, they’re less likely to stick to their doctor’s orders, and more likely to get even sicker, said Khan Nedd, chairman of the GRAAH board.
The report will be a tool for comparing drug coverage, the insurance benefit that consumers use most often, ensuring that patients get the best possible plan available to them, Nedd said.
Not only will patients get the benefit of comparison shopping before they choose their next health plan, Nedd said, but hopefully the competition will force plans to offer better options to savvy consumers who have done their homework.
“It will also help educate the patient and the more educated the patient gets, the more likely they’ll be more engaged and take their health care seriously,” he said.
Rep. Brenda Clack (D-Flint), a member of the House Health Policy Committee, said at the press conference that although she hasn’t yet devised any legislation that would help curb prescription disparity issues, she will be meeting with GRAAH members to further discuss what role lawmakers can have in fixing the problem.
Clack added that seeing the group’s list of insurance providers and the wide range of coverage provided “definitely makes the case for universal health care,” since some people are obviously paying significantly more than they can afford and “no one should have to make the choice between paying for food and paying for medication.”
GRAAH ranked both private and Medicaid insurance plans from easy to restricted access, reasoning that plans with lower co-pays and less “hassle,” such as prior authorizations, were more accessible than those that limited prescription coverage to certain medications or required prior authorization before the insurance would cover the drug.
Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Michigan commercial insurance ranked the highest in overall access out of the 18 plans that were rated, while PHP of Mid-Michigan Medicaid HMO ranked the lowest. The highest-ranking Medicaid plan was Health Plan of Michigan, which ranked third in overall accessibility.
This story was provided by Gongwer News Service. To subscribe, click on Gongwer.Com
a>>
