A growing number of drugmakers are rolling out “pharm-to-table” initiatives to sell drugs directly to patients at lower costs. However, the extent to which these programs may improve access and price transparency is yet unknown. In Health Affairs Forefront, CEVR’s Brian Reid and Peter Neumann explore the promises and pitfalls of the burgeoning pharm-to-table movement.
Key takeaways:
- Early efforts suggest promise for patients who face gaps in insurance coverage for specific drugs.
- Most Americans already have health insurance that covers prescriptions, and drugs purchased under the pharm-to-table program are unlikely to count toward deductibles.
- Lower cash-pay prices will be helpful for some patients but are unlikely to substantially improve access for many. Research has also shown that out-of-pocket costs greater than $100 lead to prescription abandonment rates of up to 75%.
Even if pharm-to-table initiatives aren’t the solution to affordability and access challenges, these efforts expose important weaknesses in the current system and hint at how drug purchasing could evolve in the future.
Read more insights at https://www.healthaffairs.org/content/forefront/pharm-table-movement-prescription-drugs-promising-performative
