Cancer survivors more likely to report limited access to prescriptions

Although financial access to prescription drugs has increased in recent years, cancer survivors appeared more likely to report limited access to prescription drugs than those without a history of cancer, according to findings reported in Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

“Rising prescription drug costs are of increasing concern to patients, payers and policy-makers,” K. Robin Yabroff, PhD, MBA, of the division of health care financing policy at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and colleagues wrote.

Expansions in health insurance — which include broadened Medicaid eligibility in some states, the elimination of preexisting condition restrictions, private insurance marketplaces, tax credits, and closing the gap in prescription drug coverage in Medicare Part D — may have improved access to prescription drugs.

“Little is known about the competing effects of increasing prescription drug costs and expanded insurance coverage on financial access to prescription drugs and whether these trends differ for cancer survivors and adults without a cancer history,” Yabroff and colleagues wrote.

The researchers reviewed data from the 2010-2015 National Health Interview Survey to examine trends in access to prescription drugs by identifying patients who decided to forgo prescription drugs to cut costs.

The percentage of adults aged 18 to 64 years who had limited access to prescription drugs decreased over time, falling from 13.8% in 2010 to 8.6% in 2015 among cancer survivors and from 11% to 6.8% among those with no cancer history (adjusted OR for trend = 0.89; 95% CI, 0.99-0.9). Among adults aged 65 years or older, researchers reported little change.

A multivariable logistic regression model showed that cancer survivors appeared more likely to report having limited access to a prescription (OR = 1.45; 95% CI, 1.31-1.61).

“Gains in health insurance for the uninsured have been shown to be associated with more prescriptions filled and lower out-of-pocket spending per prescription,” the researchers wrote. “The trends we observed suggest that expansions in health insurance coverage mitigated the effects of growing prescription drug costs to some extent for many individuals with and without a history of cancer.” – by Andy Polhamus

Disclosures: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.