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

Austin Frakt with The Incidental Economist and the AcademyHealth blog [1] featured findings from a HCFO-funded study [2]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 [3]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.