NASHVILLE, TN-The rising costs of oncology drugs are leading self-insured employers in Arizona, Colorado, and Nevada to re-evaluate treatment coverage as a medical benefit. A recent West Health Plan Analysis indicates that plans will begin monitoring practices to identify unnecessary drug treatments.
The West Health Plan Analysis points out that health insurers in the west typically report oncology treatment coverage as a medical benefit rather than a pharmacy benefit. This is because lower costs ensure that patients can complete their treatment courses.
However, a report by HealthLeaders-InterStudy indicates that oncology treatment costs will continue to rise. In response, insurers will start to more aggressively monitor treatment practices to identify unnecessary drug treatments that aren’t directly linked to member health improvement – though the insurers won’t determine the best treatment practices.
Recommended For You
Complete your profile to continue reading and get FREE access to BenefitsPRO, part of your ALM digital membership.
Your access to unlimited BenefitsPRO content isn’t changing.
Once you are an ALM digital member, you’ll receive:
- Breaking benefits news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
- Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
- Critical converage of the property casualty insurance and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, PropertyCasualty360 and ThinkAdvisor
Already have an account? Sign In Now
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
