More than half of patients report health insurance denied drugs for chronic or rare diseases: poll

Dive Brief:

More than half of adults with commercial insurance were informed by their plan that it would no longer cover their medications for a chronic or rare disease, according to a new survey.

The poll from healthcare advocacy group the PAN Foundation also found high prevalence of a cost-saving tactic from employers called alternative funding programs, in which plans outsource access to high-cost medications instead of covering them on their own.

AFPs are a frequent target of patient advocacy organizations, which argue they hinder access to medications. In response to the survey, AHIP, the major lobby for insurers, said that drugmakers set prescription drug prices at unaffordable levels, placing employers in a difficult spot.

Dive Insight:

Spending on specialty drugs, which trea