Coping with prescription drug cost sharing: knowledge, adherence, and financial burden.
OBJECTIVE
Assess patient knowledge of and response to drug cost sharing.


METHODS
Adult members of a large prepaid, integrated delivery system.


METHODS
Telephone interviews with 932 participants (72 percent response rate) who reported knowledge of the structures and amounts of their prescription drug cost sharing. Participants reported cost-related changes in their drug adherence, any financial burden, and other cost-coping behaviors. Actual cost sharing amounts came from administrative databases.


RESULTS
Overall, 27 percent of patients knew all of their drug cost sharing structures and amounts. After adjustment for individual characteristics, additional patient cost sharing structures (tiers and caps), and higher copayment amounts were associated with reporting decreased adherence, financial burden, or other cost-coping behaviors.


CONCLUSIONS
Patient knowledge of their drug benefits is limited, especially for more complex cost sharing structures. Patients also report a range of responses to greater cost sharing, including decreasing adherence.
Reed
Mary
M
Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program, 2000 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94612, USA.
Brand
Richard
R
Newhouse
Joseph P
JP
Selby
Joe V
JV
Hsu
John
J
D000368:Aged; D017047:Cost Sharing; D004363:Drug Utilization; D005260:Female; D005382:Financing, Personal; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007356:Insurance, Pharmaceutical Services; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*