Consider the total cost of care when developing policy solutions
PAN’s POSITION
Policymakers should consider the total out-of-pocket cost of care when developing policy solutions to decrease patients’ financial burden for medical treatment.
Why the total out-of-pocket cost of care is essential for policy decisions
While reducing out-of-pocket expenses for prescription therapies is an important goal, it is equally vital that patients have affordable access to the other healthcare services.
The copay for a 90-day supply of my medication was $2,000! I was already paying close to $300 out-of-pocket and could in no way afford that.
Teresa Weymouth, living with Parkinson’s Disease
Co-pays for visits to primary or specialty providers, and out-of-pocket costs for services such as diagnostic tests, physical therapy, radiation, or any other form of treatment, should not prevent patients from getting the care they need, nor force patients to make difficult tradeoffs between health care and paying for other essentials like food and groceries.
Act now
Tell Congress to put a limit on out-of-pocket costs for the 46 million Americans who depend on Medicare Part D.
