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Rising cost of specialty drugs concerns employers

Specialty drug costs might be the No. 1 issue for employers right now.

By Scott Wooldridge | Updated on May 20, 2015
Photo: AP

Rising drug costs have always been a concern to employers, but one major driver of health care costs might be drug spending that’s not even part of your pharmacy benefit.

Specialty drugs have emerged as a significant concern for employer-sponsored health plans, because these costs are often hidden in medical claims, rather than pharmaceutical billing, and because they often are extremely expensive. Specialty drugs that treat multiple sclerosis, cancer, or heart disease can range in cost from $50,000 to more than $100,000 a year. And because they are often administered in clinics or hospitals, they fall under medical benefit claims 47 percent of the time, according to data in a brief by Health Affairs.

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