Attention Deficit

The Impact of 3-Tier Formularies on Drug Treatment of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Children, a study published in the April 2005 issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry, concludes that number of health plans that limit the cost of ADHD drugs has been increasing in recent years.

Lead researcher, Haiden A. Huskamp, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of
Health Economics in the Department of Health Care Policy at Harvard Medical
School.

The study concludes that in an effort to save money, many health plans encourage physicians and parents to select drugs that are ‘preferred’ by the health plan. Drugs selected that are not on the preferred list mean higher out of pocket expenses or co-payments. This reduces the likelihood parents will buy ADHD medication for a child.
 
The study found for one health plan, three-tier formularies resulted in a 17 percent decrease in the probability that parents would purchase an ADHD medication for their child. In addition, with the three-tier adoption, the plan’s spending decreased 43 percent and enrollee spending increased 46 percent."

It seems that the health of the individual should take precedence over money saving strategies. Health plans should encourage, not discourage appropriate drug use.