Workplace plans paid more than Medicare for physician-administered drugs, study finds

Zoom in: While high-volume drugs had relatively low unit prices, workplace plan markups over Medicare prices were especially high for these drugs, the Health Care Cost Institute analysis published in JAMA Health Forum found.

• While physician-administered drug prices in Medicare are based on the average sales price, employer-sponsored insurance prices are negotiated between health care professionals or health systems and insurers.
• The authors said policies to reduce employer-sponsored plan prices for physician-administered drugs are important to control overall health spending and ensure access to new products for nearly half of the U.S. population that has coverage through work.