Study examines cost-sharing impact on buprenorphine prescription abandonment
A research team led by Thuy Nguyen, assistant professor of Health Management and Policy, published findings in JAMA Health Forum examining whether cost-sharing affects patients’ ability to access buprenorphine, a crucial medication for treating opioid use disorder. The study analyzed over one million prescription claims to understand what happens when patients face higher out-of-pocket costs for this life-saving medication. Researchers found that when insurance deductibles reset at the beginning of each year and patients had to pay more for their prescriptions, most still picked up their buprenorphine medications. The findings suggest that high costs may not be the main reason patients don’t get this treatment, meaning that efforts to reduce prescription costs should be combined with addressing other barriers like stigma and finding doctors who can prescribe the medication.