Burden on Patients: Access to Medicines in Exchange Plans

Access to prescription medicines is a critical component of health care coverage, particularly for patients living with and managing chronic conditions. In the coming weeks, we’ll be highlighting the barriers to access many patients with health insurance exchange coverage face in accessing necessary treatments. Each post will feature new research analyzing 2015 silver plans and what access to medicines for patients with a number of chronic conditions looks like.

Look back at the picture of access in 2014 for mental health, RA, oncology, asthma, diabetes, MS and HIV/AIDS here.

Some access barriers highlighted include:

• Access limits like utilization management
• Cost sharing like high coinsurance and top-tier placement of all medicines for a condition
• Formulary coverage of treatments

Fact sheets will also highlight some of the differences across states.

We’ll be taking a deeper dive over the coming weeks, starting tomorrow with a look at access to mental health medicines and a Q&A with the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

Learn more at AccessBetterCoverage.org, follow us on Twitter @ABCs of Coverage or subscribe email to updates here. Check out the 2015 Burden on Patients series posts highlighted below:

Mental Health Disorders

• Blog: Burden on Patients: 5 Questions on Access to Mental Health Medicines in Health Exchange Plans
• Graphic: Utilization Management Applied to Mental Health Medicines
• Fact Sheet: Access to Mental Health Medicines in Exchange Plans 

 HIV/AIDS

• Blog: Burden on Patients: 5 Questions on Access to HIV/AIDS Medicines in Health Exchange Plans
• Graphic: Placing All HIV Medicines on a Specialty Tier Could Be a Barrier to Access in Health Insurance Exchange Plans
• Fact Sheet: Access to HIV/AIDS Medicines in Exchange Plans

 Oncology

• Blog: Burden on Patients: Questions on Access to Cancer Medicines in Health Exchange Plans
• Graphic: Utilization Management Applied to Oncology Innovator Medicines
• Fact Sheet: Access to Oncology Medicines in Exchange Plans

Asthma

• Blog: Burden on Patients: 5 Questions on Access to Asthma Medicines in Health Exchange Plans
• Graphic: Utilization Management for Asthma Medicines Could Be a Barrier to Access in Health Insurance Exchange Plans
• Fact Sheet: Access to Asthma Medicines in Exchange Plans

Diabetes

• Blog: Burden on Patients: 5 Questions on Access to Diabetes Medicines in Health Exchange Plans
• Graphic: Utilization Management for Diabetes Medicines Could Be a Barrier to Access in Health Insurance Exchange Plans
• Fact Sheet: Access to Diabetes Medicines in Exchange Plans

Multiple Sclerosis

• Blog: Burden on Patients: 5 Questions on access to multiple sclerosis medicines in health exchange plans
• Fact Sheet: Access to Multiple Sclerosis Medicines in Exchange Plans

Rheumatoid Arthritis

• Blog: Burden on Patients: 5 Questions on access to rheumatoid arthritis medicines in health exchange plans
• Graphic: Increasingly Placing Rheumatoid Arthritis Medicines on a Specialty Tier Could Be a Barrier to Access
• Fact Sheet: Access to Rheumatoid Arthritis Medicines in Exchange Plans