A study looking at more than 1 billion pharmacy transactions from 2013 and 2014 concluded that through the Affordable Care Act people are filling more prescriptions, while paying less for the drugs, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Here are six thoughts.
1. The study looked at nearly 7 million patients who were paying for drugs before and after the health law's implementation.
2. The study's lead author Andrew Mulchay said "This is strong evidence that the Affordable Care Act has increased treatment rates while reducing out-of-pocket spending, particularly for people with chronic health conditions."
3. People who enrolled in Medicaid in 2014 after being uninsured in 2013 filed 13 more prescriptions a year after gaining the coverage. People who had private insurance after being uninsured filed for more prescriptions.
4. Yet even as more people filed prescriptions, the out of pocket cost was much less. For example, those gaining Medicaid coverage paid $205 less in 2014 than 2013.
5. Americans with chronic illness that required regular prescription saw their bill drop $279 on average while on Medicaid.
6. The study had alarming trends too. Health plans picked up the costs the people were saving, which will translate into higher insurance premiums and higher costs for government programs.
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