Drug Prices, Employee benefits, Pharmaceutical Inflation

Retail prescription drug spending grew 36% over the four-year period ended Dec. 31, 2016, but out-of-pocket spending for health plan enrollees remained steady, according to a recent study by the Pew Charitable Trusts.

The study, “The Prescription Drug Landscape, Explored,” found that patients are covering the lion’s share of the cost through higher premium outlays, while large pharmacy benefit managers are passing on a larger portion of the manufacturer rebates they receive to insurance plans.

The study found health plan enrollees have largely been sheltered from rapidly rising drug costs due to:

  • More of the health insurance premium being dedicated to pharmacy benefits. The percentage of health insurance premiums allocated to pharmacy benefits increased to 16.5% in 2016 from 12.8% in 2012.
  • Policies that cap out-of-pocket expenses.
  • Cost-sharing assistance from manufacturers (like Medicare Part D coverage gap discounts and copay coupons).

Overall health retail prescription drug spending grew to $341 billion in 2016 from $250.7 billion in 2012. Here’s who spent what:

Patients: $103.8 billion – This includes the percentage of the premium they pay that goes towards drug benefits, in addition to out-of-pocket spending.

Employers: $97.5 billion – The premiums that employers pay that go towards drug benefits.

Government: $139.8 billion – This is both federal and state spending on retail drug coverage through Medicare Part D, Medicaid fee-for-service, and the share of premiums for retail drug coverage in Medicaid managed care.

Employers have grown increasingly concerned by the rapidly increasing cost of medications and the effect on the premiums they and their employees pay.

The National Business Group on Health in 2018 surveyed 170 large employers and found that:

  • 14% said the pricing and rebate system needed to be more transparent,
  • 35% said rebates needed to be reduced,
  • 50% said the pharmaceutical supply chain was inefficient and too complex and needed to be overhauled and simplified.
  • 56% said rebates were not an effective tool for helping drive down costs.
  • 53% said rebates did not benefit customers at the point of sale.

Tackling drug costs

The National Business Group study also looked at what employers are doing to combat drug costs, including:

  • Adopting recently developed capability by pharmacy benefit managers to pull rebates forward at the point-of-sale to benefit consumers.
  • Implementing point-of-sale rebates to benefit the enrollees.
  • Educating employees about the value of buying generic, so they can save money for you and themselves. According to the Federal Drug Administration, generic medications save more than $150 billion annually.
  • Half-tablet programs – These programs aim to reduce the number of tablets participants consume, while still receiving the same strength of medication. For instance, individuals might need 15 milligrams of a daily medication, so they receive a prescription for 30 tablets. With the half-tablet program, individuals would receive a prescription for 15 tablets, with 30mg strength each.
    Instead of taking one daily, they would only take half of a tablet. Despite the higher-strength pills, participants in this program only pay half of their usual prescription copay because they are receiving half the number of tablets. Likewise, individuals who pay coinsurance would be paying a smaller percentage for fewer tablets.

Surprise Medical Bills and ‘Balance Billing’ in Crosshairs

When your medical care provider charges more than your insurance company is willing to reimburse, you may get a bill asking you to pay the difference – a practice called “balance billing.” The Trump administration is moving to put a stop to the practice.

In a recent White House round table on limiting health care expenditures, President Trump vowed to end balance billing, citing a report from the Kaiser Family Foundation that showed that four out of 10 Americans had received a surprise medical bill in the past year.

The practice is already banned for participating Medicare and Medicaid providers, though non-participating Medicare providers who haven’t completely opted out of the program can still impose a surcharge of up to 15%.

How does balance billing happen?

Balance billing often results in a surprise medical bill, received after the services are rendered. It’s especially common when:

  • A patient doesn’t ask about actual medical costs at the time of service.
  • A patient accidentally receives services from an out-of-network provider.
  • A patient receives a service not covered under their plan.

In theory, it should be easy to check whether your provider is in your network before seeking medical services. In practice though, things aren’t so easy. For example, even if your hospital is in-network, you can get a surprise invoice via balance billing under circumstances like these:

  • They bring in an out-of-network radiologist;
  • They use an out-of-network laboratory;
  • They hire an out-of-network anesthesiologist; or
  • They bring in an out-of-network consultant.

This is true even though someone else picked the provider, not you. You may not even have been conscious at the time.

Some states have already moved to restrict the practice – but state laws so far have generally only protected people on state-regulated plans. Those on self-insured employer plans, for example, don’t receive much protection under these state laws.

But federal officials are pushing for more transparency: The Department of Health and Human Services has already required hospitals to publicly post their list prices of all their services online, effective Jan. 1 this year.

There is also some legislation pending in Congress. Under the No More Surprise Medical Bills Act of 2018 (S. 3592) sponsored by Maggie Hassan (D-NH), providers can only charge a patient an in-network amount, unless the patient has been properly notified about the charge and has consented to it.

That bill was referred to committee last year, though its future in the new Congress is uncertain.

There’s also yet unnamed draft legislation from a bipartisan group of senators that would protect patients from out-of-network billing, set payment standards, and prevent balance billing.

The draft was written by Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Tom Carper (D-DE), Todd Young (R-IN) and Claire McCaskill (D-MO).

HDHP Enrollees More Likely to Consider Costs and Quality

A new study has found that people enrolled in high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) actually are more likely to consider costs and quality when considering non-emergency care.

The 14th annual “Consumer Engagement in Health Care” study by the Employee Benefits Research Institute and market research firm Greenwald & Associates surveyed 2,100 adults, most of whom receive health coverage via their employers.

The survey found that people enrolled in health plans with a deductible of at least $1,350 for self only, and $2,700 for families, were more likely to take costs into account when making health care decisions.

Evidence of cost-conscious behavior:

  • 55% of HDHP enrollees said they checked whether their health plan would cover their care or medication prior to purchase, compared to 41% in traditional health plans.
  • 41% of HDHP enrollees said they checked the quality rating of a doctor or hospital before receiving care, compared to 33% of those in traditional plans.
  • 41% of HDHP enrollees asked for a generic drug instead of a brand name drug, compared to 32% of traditional plan enrollees.
  • 40% of HDHP enrollees talked to their doctor about prescription options and costs, compared to 29% of traditional plan participants.
  • 25% of HDHP enrollees used online cost-tracking tools provided by their health plans to manage their health expenses, compared to 14% of people in traditional plans.
  • HDHP enrollees also were more likely to take preventive measures to preserve health, including enrolling in wellness programs.

That said, the study did find some negative behavior among HDHP enrollees as well, including that 30% of HDHP enrollees said they had delayed health care in the past year because of costs, compared to 18% of traditional plan participants.

What you can do

In order to help HDHP enrollees get the most out of their plans, it’s recommended that their employers also offer health savings accounts.

This can help them pay for services that are not covered until they meet their deductible. Employers can help by matching (fully or in part) employees’ HSA contributions. This encourages them to participate.

Employers should also push preventative care. The Affordable Care Act requires all plans to cover a set of preventative care services outside of the plan deductible. Unfortunately, many people don’t know that these services must be covered by insurance with no out-of-pocket expenses for the enrollees.

Some employee benefits experts are recommending that employers tie the amount of premiums employees are required to contribute to how well they comply with preventative guidelines.

Non-enrollment in HSAs

These are the reasons employees cite for not enrolling in their company’s HSA:

  • Do not see any advantages: 57%
  • Do not have enough money to contribute to the account: 24%
  • Their employer doesn’t contribute to the account: 10%
  • Did not take the time to enroll: 8%
  • Do not understand what the HSA is for: 6%

The key to getting your staff to take advantage of the tax-savings feature of HSAs is education. You should make sure all of your eligible staff understand how they work.

And if you are not currently contributing some funds to their HSAs, now might be the time to consider doing that.

Helping Your Staff Get the Most from Their HSA Plans

As more employers adopt high-deductible health plans, which leave their employees with more “skin in the game,” it’s important that you educate them on how to get the most out of the attached health savings accounts.

Unfortunately, your employees may not be using the funds in their HSAs as efficiently as they should, and they could be leaving money on the table. One of the most common ways that happens is spending those funds on inappropriate care or misdiagnosed afflictions. It’s estimated that up to $1 trillion a year is spent on this type of erroneous care.

The nice thing about HSAs is that they have a threefold tax benefit:

  • Money goes into the accounts pre-tax,
  • The funds in the HSA grow tax-free, and
  • Funds are withdrawn tax-free if used for qualified medical expenses.

Also, funds in an HSA remain in the account. There is no use-it-or-lose-it provision and workers retain ownership of the account even if they switch employers. They also can be kept until retirement and, like an IRA, your staff can roll over or combine HSAs if they have more than one.

But it behooves your employees to learn how they may be squandering the funds they have put into their HSAs.

Examples of unnecessary care

  • Duplicate tests, because doctors don’t have access to a patient’s full medical records when they go to two or more treatment centers.
  • Overtreatment for common conditions such as back and joint pain, some types of cancer, and stable heart disease.
  • False positives from tests, leading to follow-up tests.
  • Replacement of less costly gold-standard medications and treatments with new and more expensive alternatives that may not yield better results.
  • Care that was delivered on the insistence of a patient when it was not needed or medically appropriate.

Tools for corraling health spending

Fortunately, there are means available to help your employees better decide how to spend their HSA funds.

First and foremost, the majority of medical expenses, like office visits, are reimbursable and the employee should tap the HSA whenever they incur a copay, deductible or outlays for medicine.

Shopping around – If they are told they need a procedure, they can take matters into their own hands and shop around for the procedure among the available treatment facilities in the group network. Doing this can save thousands of dollars.

Second opinions – Getting a second opinion is important, particularly after:

  • Receiving a diagnosis of a serious or complex health problem,
  • A doctor recommends elective surgery, or
  • If the diagnosis is not clear.

Fortunately, many group plans have second-opinion programs as stand-alone services or included as part of an advisory or vendor management program, and through medical centers of excellence.

Objective, evidence-based research – Supplying employees with evidence-based information on treatment options, presented in plain English, can help them understand their options, make more informed decisions, and avoid inappropriate testing and treatment.

It’s also helpful if this resource includes the option to speak with someone via phone or web chat who can answer questions about the information and suggest additional resources.

Referrals to experienced health care providers– Accurate diagnosis begins with connecting employees with the right physicians. The ability to connect workers with physicians who have proven experience and expertise in treating the condition that they’ve been diagnosed with can lower the risk of misdiagnosis and inappropriate treatment.

Trump Administration Issues Proposed Rules for Short-Term Plans

As promised, the Trump administration has issued proposed rules that would allow individuals to skirt Affordable Care Act regulations and buy short-term, low-coverage health plans.

Under the proposal, individuals would be able to purchase short-term plans that last up to 12 months, compared to the three-month maximum under the ACA.

The proposal would also exempt these short-term plans from ACA rules about what kind of coverage individual health plans are supposed to have, like covering 10 essential health benefits and barring insurers from rejecting individuals with pre-existing conditions.

The administration said short-term plans are meant for people who:

  • Cannot afford ACA coverage purchased on exchanges,
  • Are between jobs and need temporary coverage that’s cheaper than COBRA, or
  • Have doctors who are not included in plans offered on public exchanges.

The Department of Health and Human Services predicted that 100,000 to 200,000 Americans would switch from individual market plans to short-term policies thanks to the new rules.

Short-term health insurance covered 148,118 people in 2015, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.

Under the proposed rules, insurance companies would be required to prominently display in the contract and application materials that the policy is exempt from ACA protections.

Who would buy these plans?

Short-term health insurance is meant to provide temporary coverage for people transitioning between traditional health policies, perhaps because they are changing jobs.

Short-term plans are usually accepted at more doctors’ offices and hospitals compared with traditional insurance plans, which are often limited to narrow networks. And they are usually cheaper.

Healthier and young individuals who don’t think they need full coverage would likely choose these types of plans, which would pull them from the ACA markets. If that happened, marketplace plans could be left with an older and less healthy pool of covered individuals, which would likely force them to raise rates.

Short-term insurance plans cost an average of 25% less than bronze plans on the individual marketplace, or $65 less per month, according to data from AgileHealthInsurance.

The pricing is low because these plans don’t offer the 10 essential health benefits as normal ACA-regulated plans do (things like pregnancy care and mental health treatment) and they are not required to cover pre-existing conditions.

Currently, there are only a few players in the short-term health plan market, as the ACA allows individuals to carry short-term insurance plans for a maximum of three months. But, since the Trump administration announced in October 2017 that it would propose new regulations for short-term plans, more carriers have been exploring entering the market.

Two major industry lobby groups – America’s Health Insurance plans and the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association – have warned that the short-term plans could harm state insurance markets.

Benefits in a Multi-generational Workplace

With multiple generations working side-by-side in this economy, the needs of your staff in terms of employee benefits will vary greatly depending on their age.

You may have baby boomers who are nearing retirement and have health issues, working with staff in their 30s who are newly married and have had their first kids. And those who are just entering the workforce have a different mindset about work and life than the generations before them.

Because of this, employers have to be crafty in how they set up their benefits packages so that they address these various needs.

But don’t fret, getting something that everyone likes into your package is not too expensive, particularly if you are offering voluntary benefits to which you may or may not contribute as an employer.

Think about the multi-generational workforce:

Baby boomers – These oldest workers are preparing to retire and they likely have long-standing relationships with their doctors.

Generation X – These workers, who are trailing the baby boomers into retirement, are often either raising families or on the verge of becoming empty-nesters. They may have more health care needs and different financial priorities than their older colleagues.

Millennials and Generation Z – These workers may not be so concerned about the strength of their health plans and may have other priorities, like paying off student loans and starting to make plans for retirement savings. 

Working out a benefits strategy

If you have a multi-generational workforce, you may want to consider sitting down and talking to us about a benefits strategy that keeps costs as low as possible while being useful to employees. This is crucial for any company that is competing for talent with other employers in a tight job market.

While we will assume that you are already providing your workers with the main employee benefit – health insurance – we will look at some voluntary benefits that you should consider for your staff:

Baby boomers – Baby boomers look heavily to retirement savings plans and incentives, health savings plans, and voluntary insurance (like long-term care and critical illness coverage) to protect them in the event of a serious illness or accident. 

You may also want to consider additional paid time off for doctor’s appointments, as many of these workers may have regular checkups for medical conditions they have (64% of baby boomers have at least one chronic condition, like heart disease or diabetes).

Generation X – This is the time of life when people often get divorced and their kids start going to college. Additionally, this generation arguably suffered more than any other during the financial crisis that hit in 2008. You can offer voluntary benefits such as legal and financial planning services to help these workers.

Millennials and Generation Z – Some employee benefits specialists suggest offering these youngest workers programs to help them save for their first home or additional time off to bond with their child after birth.

Also, financially friendly benefits options, such as voluntary insurance and wellness initiatives, are two to think about including in an overall benefits package.

Voluntary insurance, which helps cover the costs that major medical policies were never intended to cover, and wellness benefits, including company-sponsored sports teams or gym membership reimbursements, are both appealing to millennials and can often be implemented with little to no cost to you.

HDHPs Can Hamper Employee Health Without an Attached HSA

In recent years, employers and self-employed Americans have been migrating to high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) but, if they are not attached to a health savings account (HSA), they can end up costing the plan participant more than they can afford and create health problems for them down the road.

HDHPs typically have reduced premiums in exchange for the employee taking on a higher deductible for health care expenditures. The average person enrolled in an HDHP saves 42% in annual premiums, compared to those enrolled in preferred provider organization plans, according to research from BenefitFocus.

But in order to afford paying those deductibles, an attached HSA can help them sock away funds pre-tax to ease the burden.

That’s because HDHPs may leave families facing at least $2,700 in potential deductibles, and up to $13,500 in out-of-pocket medical expenses per year. In 2018, the average HDHP deductible was $4,133 per year for family coverage and $2,166 for single coverage.

For some people, this can pose a problem because:

  • 60% of Americans don’t have $1,000 in emergency savings.
  • 44% would have trouble meeting an unexpected $400 expense.

As a result, many HDHP beneficiaries find themselves putting off care, rationing their medications, or going without altogether. But this often leads to even greater expenses down the road, lost work, productivity losses – and even disability and death. Besides the toll it takes on the employee, their work for you can also suffer.

You can do your part to help your workers avoid this situation by providing an attached HSA, which can be crucial in helping them meet their medical bills.

How HSAs work

HSAs are one of the most tax-efficient savings vehicles in the tax code, and a potent tool for both insurance planning and retirement planning.

These tax-advantaged savings accounts are specifically designed to help people pay their health insurance deductible.

  • Contributions are tax-deductible. What’s more, if you offer the benefit via a Section 125 cafeteria plan, HSA contributions aren’t subject to Social Security and Medicare payroll taxes.
  • Balances accrue tax-deferred. And if participants don’t need to tap their HSA money for health care expenses, once they turn age 65, they can withdraw that money for any reason, penalty-free. All they pay is income tax.
  • Withdrawals to cover qualified medical expenses are tax-free.

What to do

Employers and plan sponsors should work to bridge the gap between deductibles and what employees can actually afford. Otherwise, the short-term saving is likely to be overwhelmed by absenteeism, presenteeism and future medical costs. You should:

  • Consider contributing to or matching employee contributions to health savings accounts.
  • Beef up flexible spending account benefits to help workers with current health issues, and to fund preventative care such as eye exams – which can help detect diabetes.
  • Offer critical illness insurance.
  • Implement or expand workplace wellness programs. A study from Health Affairs found that well-executed wellness programs generate a return of $3.27 per dollar invested.
  • Invest in worksite vaccination and screening programs.
  • Speak with your health insurance carrier or us about using wellness dollars designed to help employees reduce long-term medical costs.

Employers Double Down on Employee Benefits

As the job market tightens and competition for workers becomes fiercer, a majority of employers are boosting their employee benefits offerings and are paying less attention to reducing associated costs, according to a new study.

The changes reflect the shifting priorities of the workforce and the newest generation to enter the job market. The challenge for employers is controlling benefit costs, while at the same time being able to attract and retain talent as competition for workers increases.

The “2018 Benefits Strategy & Benchmarking Survey” by Gallagher Benefits found that U.S. employers were most concerned with:

  • Attracting and retaining talent. This was the number one operational priority for 60% of employers.
  • Controlling benefit costs. This was the top priority for another 37%.

The study authors said they are noticing a “clear shift in the market” because employers are having to compete so fiercely for workers and because the workforce comprises five generations, all of which have very different priorities and needs. Besides beefing up their health insurance offerings, they are also boosting other employee benefits.

New strategies

Employers are also adopting new strategies to help their employees get the health care services they need. The survey found that:

  • 45% of employers have increased employee cost-sharing of health care benefits.
  • 55% of employers provide telemedicine services that allow employees to speak remotely with medical professionals.
  • More employers are focused on helping their employees reduce their medical expenses with wellness programs and prevention services. The most popular offerings include:
    • Flu shots
    • Tobacco cessation programs
    • Health risk assessments
    • Biometric screenings
  • Financial wellness programs are gaining popularity, with 62% of employers providing access to financial advisors.
  • 89% of employers offer employees life insurance
  • 70% of employers provide access to employee assistance programs.
  • 47% of employers offer financial-literacy education to help employees better manage their money.
  • 22% of employers offer employees three medical insurance plans to choose from (another 13% offer four or more).
  • 46% of employers offer tuition reimbursement.

Ohio Auditor’s Report on PBMs Sparks Changes

An audit carried out for Ohio Medicaid found that large pharmacy benefit managers that contract with the state’s Medicaid program have been pocketing a larger and larger share of drug pricing.

In fact, PBMs charged Ohio Medicaid plans 31% more for generic prescriptions than the amount they paid pharmacists for the drugs, the audit found, shedding light on a practice that observers say is being mirrored throughout the country.

The auditor found that the two largest PBMs operating in the state billed Medicaid managed-care plans $223.7 million more for prescription drugs than they paid pharmacy providers in 2017.

The report comes as pressure grows on PBMs to be more transparent about their pricing and costs amid complaints by pharmacies that are barely breaking even or losing money due to the tough contracts they have to enter into with PBMs. Many critics say that PBMs are not passing on the savings to payers when they negotiate lower contracts with pharmacies.

“We know that Ohio is not alone,” Ernie Boy, executive director of the Ohio Pharmacy Association, said in a prepared statement. “Every state and every payer in the country is grappling with these overinflated costs.”

What’s going on

Medicaid doesn’t directly pay pharmacists. Ohio Medicaid pays five private insurance companies to manage Medicaid plans for the state. The insurance companies contract out pharmacy benefits to middlemen, which pay pharmacists to fill prescriptions.

Medicaid and most health plans contract with PBMs to essentially run the drug portion of the health insurance equation. They are supposed to negotiate volume discounts with drug-makers and rates with pharmacies to reduce the overall drug spend by the payers.

PBMs make a good deal of their money from a growing “spread” between what the PBM pays pharmacies and what it charges payers (in this case, the state Medicaid program). The PBM keeps the spread, but most PBMs are not transparent about how much the spread is, leaving both the pharmacies and the payers in the dark.

According to the report, the overall spread in 2017 in Ohio was $224.8 million – with an average spread of 8.9% per prescription. Generic drugs, which comprise 86% of Medicaid prescriptions in Ohio and for which pricing is most opaque, accounted for an overwhelming majority of the spread.

The report found that during the entire study period:

  • The average spread was $5.71 per prescription.
  • The average spread for brand-name prescriptions was $1.85.
  • The average spread for generic prescriptions was $6.14.
  • The average spread for specialty drugs was $33.49.

Generic drugs account for 86% of Medicaid prescription claims in Ohio.

The auditor stated in its report that PBMs’ administrative fees typically range from $0.95 to $1.90 per prescription.

“Although this figure may not include all of services performed by a (pharmacy benefit manager), it suggests Ohio’s current spread may be excessive and warrants the state taking further action to mitigate the impact on the Medicaid program,” the report stated.

As part of its findings, the auditor noted that pharmacies in Ohio have been shuttering at a brisk pace since Medicaid PBMs have been cutting how much they reimburse them for medications.

Between 2013 and 2017, some 371 pharmacies closed in Ohio, coinciding with significant reimbursement reductions in their PBM contracts. The majority of those closures have taken place since 2016.

As a result of the audit, Ohio’s Medicaid department directed its managed-care organizations to quit their contracts with PBMs, citing the opaque pricing practices.

The state’s five managed-care plans were required to enter into new contracts with companies that were able to manage pharmacy services using a more transparent pricing model by the start of 2019.

Proposed Rules Include New Ways to Satisfy Employer Mandates

The IRS has proposed new regulations that could let employers avoid Affordable Care Act employer mandate-related penalties by allowing them to reimburse employees for insurance they purchase on health insurance exchanges or the open market.

The regulations are not yet finalized, but the IRS has issued a notice explaining how applicable large employers, instead of purchasing health coverage for their workers, would be able to fund health reimbursement accounts (HRAs) to employees who purchase their own plans.

Under current ACA regulations, employers can be penalized up to $36,500 a year per employee for reimbursing employees for health insurance they purchase on their own.

Employer mandate refresher

Applicable large employers (ALEs) – employers with 50 or more full-time employees or full-time equivalents – must offer health coverage to at least 95% of full-time employees that includes:

  • Minimum essential coverage: The plan must cover 10 essential benefits.
  • Minimum value: The plan must pay at least 60% of the costs of benefits.
  • Affordable coverage: A plan is considered affordable if the employee’s required contribution does not exceed 9.56% (this amount is adjusted annually based on the federal poverty line; 9.86% will be the 2019 affordability percentage).

ALEs that fail to offer coverage are subject to paying a fine (called the responsibility payment) to the IRS.

How the new rule would work

The IRS is developing guidance on how HRAs could be used to satisfy the employer mandate.

In its recent notice, the agency addressed how the regulation will play out, as follows:

Requirement that ALEs offer coverage to 95% of their employees, and dependents if they have them – Under the proposed regs and the notice, an employer could satisfy the 95% test by making all of its full-time employees and dependents eligible for the individual coverage HRA plan.

Affordability – The employer would have to contribute an amount into each individual account so that the remaining out-of-pocket premium cost for each employee does not exceed 9.86% (for 2019, as adjusted) of the employee’s household income.
This could be a logistical nightmare for employers, and the IRS noted that employers would be able to use current affordability-test safe harbors already in place in regulations.

Minimum value requirement – The notice explains that an individual coverage HRA that is affordable will be treated as providing minimum value for employer mandate purposes.

What you should do

At this point, employers should not act on these regulations. The IRS is aiming for the regs to take effect on Jan. 1, 2020.

The final regulations have yet to be written, so they could change before they are promulgated. We will keep you informed of developments.