Trending News Today: Impact of High Out-of-Pocket Costs in Silver Plans

According to Kaiser Health News, a recent study found that patients with complex and expensive diseases have better access to specialty drugs. However, patients who have silver-level plans are experiencing high out-of-pocket costs for expensive specialty drugs for conditions such as HIV, cancer, hepatitis C, and bipolar disorder. These drugs are typically placed in a tier that requires the patient to pay up to 40% or more of the drug, rather than a copay.

The governor of Arkansas used a line-item veto on Thursday in order to continue the state’s Medicaid expansion. According to Kaiser Health News, the state’s Medicaid expansion covers over 267,000 people who are 138% below poverty level. This veto ended a budget standoff that lasted for 2 weeks.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Target pharmacy was recently taken over by CVS Health, with one customer finding a 380% price increase in his prescription. A CVS spokesperson stated that the pharmacy is not to blame and it is the fault of third-party companies that offer discount card programs. Drug price fluctuation is also common, the article states.