An early examination of access to select orphan drugs treating rare diseases in health insurance exchange plans.

CONCLUSIONS: This preliminary analysis of access to treatments for patients with select rare diseases revealed the complexities involved for patients with specific needs when selecting a plan with appropriate coverage. For patients with rare diseases, the process of identifying and selecting a plan centers on understanding if and how the plan covers a specific treatment or set of treatments. Access factors will likely vary substantially across plans, as demonstrated by the findings from this analysis. With limited treatment options and the potential for cost sharing and UM barriers, increased data transparency to assist patients in navigating formularies will be a critical step for patients to fully understand their access to needed therapies in each plan. PMID: 25278322 [PubMed - in process]
Source: Journal of Managed Care Pharmacy - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Tags: J Manag Care Pharm Source Type: research