The Incidental Economist Cites Findings from HCFO-Funded Study on the Value of VBID

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Austin Frakt with The Incidental Economist and the AcademyHealth blog featured findings from a HCFO-funded study led by Matthew Maciejewski, Durham VA Medical Center and Duke University. Maciejewski and his colleagues examined “Medication Dedication,” a Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina program that eliminated copayments for generic medications and reduced copayments for brand-name medications to treat hypertension, congestive heart failure, hyperlipidemia and diabetes, to determine the business case for value-based insurance design (VBID). Maciejewski and colleagues found that although the program increased medication adherence and decreased hospital admissions, there were no significant changes in total health expenditures. Frakt notes that while it is hard to make a cost-savings business case for VBID, these programs are valuable benefit design features to improve quality and outcomes.