Close Close
Popular Financial Topics Discover relevant content from across the suite of ALM legal publications From the Industry More content from ThinkAdvisor and select sponsors Investment Advisor Issue Gallery Read digital editions of Investment Advisor Magazine Tax Facts Get clear, current, and reliable answers to pressing tax questions
Luminaries Awards
ThinkAdvisor

Life Health > Health Insurance > Life Insurance Strategies

Buck: Drugs Take Big Slice Of Health Cost Pie

X
Your article was successfully shared with the contacts you provided.

Pharmacy benefits costs account for more than 20% of total health plan costs at about 29% of employers that offer prescription benefits.

Researchers at Buck Consultants, New York, a unit of Affiliated Computer Services Inc., Dallas, have reported that finding in a summary of results from a survey of 150 employers.

Pharmacy benefits account for 16% to 20% of total health care costs at 37% of the participating employers, the Buck researchers report.

The researchers note that 99% of the participating employers said they offer prescription drug coverage.

The Buck researchers found signs that employers continue to have trouble understanding their pharmacy benefits costs.

About 28% of the participating employers did not know how much money their plans spend on expensive specialty medications, the researchers report.


NOT FOR REPRINT

© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.