Increase in prescription drugs boosts Massachusetts healthcare spending: 5 things to know

Prescription drug price increases have contributed to healthcare spending growth in Massachusetts, based on a Freedman HealthCare study, according to WWLP.

Here are five things to know:

1. In the last two years, more people have been buying brand name prescription drugs, and the prices have increased.

2. The study found other healthcare spending drivers include a gap between high and low paid medical providers, the amount of delivered care in costly settings and market clout.

3. There is a greater emphasis on behavioral health and using policy to fix price discrepancies among providers.

4. Per capita drug spending increased 13.4 percent in 2014, according to the Health Policy Commission's 2015 cost trends report.

5. The Massachusetts Association of Health Plan will discuss the study's results with stakeholders.

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