IMAGE
Tuesday, April 16, 2019

Prescription Drug Spending Trends

As employers, patients, and other stakeholders continue to struggle with the rising cost of healthcare (and health insurance!), one particular component of overall healthcare spending seems to be occupying the majority of attention – prescription drugs!  In 2019, the U.S. is projected to spend $500 billion on prescription drugs alone, which marks a 12x increase from less than 20 years ago!*  A number of factors are at play in the cost pressures affecting drugs, on both the supply and demand side.   Much is being discussed and debated on the topic of addressing skyrocketing drug prices, including government intervention on a number of fronts.  Needless to say, we are closely monitoring developments in the area of prescription drug trends.  So here is the first of likely several posts addressing some of the more pressing matters affecting prescription drug use and spending.