Spending on prescription drugs by employers continues to rise sharply. At the same time, employer plans are requiring greater cost-sharing on the part of employees, thus reducing the impact on employers to a degree.
A wide-ranging study by Buck Consultants reviewed an array of drug-related insurance issues. When the focus turned to costs and cost control, the trend was clear: Employers are shelling out more for prescription drugs, but they're requiring plan participants to pay more upfront in premium contributions and more downstream in higher co-pays.
For instance, respondents were given the option to select from various ranges of participation contribution and cost-sharing. The largest segment — 29 percent — said their participants contributed 21 percent to 25 percent in 2014. Last year, the largest segment identified the range as 16 percent to 20 percent.
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Dan Cook
Dan Cook is a journalist and communications consultant based in Portland, OR. During his journalism career he has been a reporter and editor for a variety of media companies, including American Lawyer Media, BusinessWeek, Newhouse Newspapers, Knight-Ridder, Time Inc., and Reuters. He specializes in health care and insurance related coverage for BenefitsPRO.
