The digital health space refers to the integration of technology and health care services to improve the overall quality of health care delivery. It encompasses a wide range of innovative and emerging technologies such as wearables, telehealth, artificial intelligence, mobile health, and electronic health records (EHRs). The digital health space offers numerous benefits such as improved patient outcomes, increased access to health care, reduced costs, and improved communication and collaboration between patients and health care providers. For example, patients can now monitor their vital signs such as blood pressure and glucose levels from home using wearable devices and share the data with their doctors in real-time. Telehealth technology allows patients to consult with their health care providers remotely without having to travel to the hospital, making health care more accessible, particularly in remote or rural areas. Artificial intelligence can be used to analyze vast amounts of patient data to identify patterns, predict outcomes, and provide personalized treatment recommendations. Overall, the digital health space is rapidly evolving, and the integration of technology in health

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Calif. Bill Aims To Limit Which Rx Drugs Are Listed in High-Cost Tiers

Calif. Bill Aims To Limit Which Rx Drugs Are Listed in High-Cost Tiers

by:  California Healthline, Thursday, February 19, 2015


California lawmakers are considering a bill (AB 339) that aims to keep prescription drug costs down by limiting which medications insurers can include in the highest-cost drug tier, Capital Public Radio's "KXJZ News" reports.

Details of Bill

AB 339, by Assembly member Richard Gordon (D-Los Altos), would prevent insurers from placing all of the prescription drugs to treat a certain condition in the highest-cost tier of a drug formulary.
According to Gordon, insurers often place high-cost medications into such specialty tiers, which forces patients to pay a larger share of the prescription drug's price. For example, Gordon explained that if "all of the HIV drugs are in a very expensive top-tier category, that would appear to be discriminatory" (Bartolone, "KXJZ News," Capital Public Radio, 2/18).
In addition, the bill would require:
  • All health plans offered, renewed or amended after Jan. 1, 2016, that cover outpatient prescription drugs to offer coverage for medically necessary medications that do not have a therapeutic equivalent; and
  • The California Department of Managed Health Care and Department of Insurance to define by Jan. 1, 2017, a "specialty prescription drug" category that would be subject to limitations (AB 339, 2/13).

Health Insurer Reaction

Nicole Kasabian Evans with the California Association of Health Plans said the bill could be misleading, noting that patients pay higher shares of specialty drugs because they often are very expensive.
She said, "Bills like this give a false sense that drug costs are going to be reduced, when in reality costs are just shifted from your out-of-pocket costs to premiums."
Health insurers also contend that out-of-pocket costs already are capped under the Affordable Care Act. They say a better way to address high prescription drug costs would be to have drugmakers be more transparent about how prices are set

("KXJZ News," Capital Public Radio, 2/18).
Source: California Healthline, Thursday, February 19, 2015
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)