Last week, The Network for Excellence in Health Innovation (NEHI) released a new report that outlines steps for greater transparency in health care. The report states that helping consumers make well-informed decisions can lead to higher quality of care, greater patient satisfaction and better use of the nation’s health care resources.
After interviewing health care industry experts, holding a discussion with thought leaders and reviewing existing research, NEHI found that most consumers make medical decisions without proper support. Choosing a doctor, hospital, health insurance plan or a course of medical treatment can be overwhelming, and these information gaps in the system cost both consumers and the nation. Their research revealed:
- Consumers often don’t know that they may have multiple treatment options or that health care costs can vary widely for the same service.
- While there are tools to help consumers with the decision-making process, these tools are not consistently available or useful.
- If consumers make the wrong decision when selecting a health plan or provider, there could be expensive consequences.
Based on their research, NEHI proposes a nine-step process to help consumers make more informed decisions and provides a number of recommendations. This includes a public awareness campaign, better marketing of the tools available to consumers and policy recommendations for lawmakers.
As our health care system continues to evolve, it is important to ensure that consumers have access to the right tools at the right time when making important decisions regarding their care.
Read the full NEHI report here.
Katie Koziara
Katie Koziara is Senior Director of public affairs at PhRMA focusing on the organization’s executive visibility work and media relations strategy. She previously ran the social media strategy for a D.C.-based non-profit working on federal management and leadership issues. Katie earned her B.A. in Public Policy from the University of Michigan’s Ford School and is currently earning her M.A. in Fiction Writing from Johns Hopkins University.
Katie Koziara
Insurers routinely block seniors’ access to medicines in Medicare Part D
New study: PBMs and commercial insurers are quietly blocking prescription access
New PES survey: Out-of-pocket costs lead key health care priorities ahead of the November election
Guest Post: My health care vote
Americans speak out on health insurance barriers and need for policy change, according to the latest Patient Experience Survey
PBMs and insurers off the hook: Sen. Sanders’ selective hearing on drug costs
Key voter insights two months from Election Day
Patient priorities in the 2024 election
Voters across all 50 states want state policymakers to focus on health insurance and PBM practices
New 50-state poll Americans want to hold health insurers and PBMs accountable for high out-of-pocket costs and other practices
ICYMI: What patients care about this election year
PhRMA Warns Federal Agencies: Consolidation and vertical integration among insurers, PBMs, and hospitals threaten patients
Ongoing federal probes shed light on PBM and insurer practices
Critics repeat same, misleading narrative on potential “costs” of new medicines
WTAS: The consequences of consolidation and vertical integration
IRA is already negatively impacting access to medicines in Part D
Insurance data: PBM reform has no material impact on premiums
New study finds insurers and PBMs increasing access restrictions in Medicare Part D
ICYMI: When middlemen get in the way, it’s the patients who lose
Increased use of prior authorization in Medicaid is blocking access for patients
ICYMI: WSJ — Same Drug, Two Prices: Why the Higher Price Prevails
One year to Election Day: Four voter priorities to watch
New PhRMA ad exposes yet another way PBMs get between patients and their medicines
Navigating the Patient Experience Survey: Protecting Lifelines to Access and Innovation
Three things to know from the latest Patient Experience Survey
ICYMI: PBM exec admits choosing profits over patients
Insulin: Key Facts on Access & Affordability
4 key facts on medicine prices and spending
4 Things to know about PhRMA’s new 50-state poll
Three facts about health care spending
AHIP’s latest misinformation campaign & what it’s trying to hide
ICYMI: PhRMA President and CEO Stephen J. Ubl discusses patient affordability
States can support access to medicine as COVID-19 Public Health Emergency ends
Arkansas puts patients first with new share the savings law
Key Trends: Patient experience data reveal how insurers and middlemen impose barriers in health care
Insurer and PBM tactics are shifting higher costs to patients with chronic and complex conditions
Holding pharmacy benefit managers accountable
Stopping pharmacy benefit managers from “gaming the system”
Senate hearing to examine bipartisan reforms to rein in middlemen
Minnesota lawmakers are letting PBMs off the hook, and threatening patients’ access to medicines
ICYMI: PhRMA COO Lori Reilly speaks about the health care agenda for the next Congress
In their own words: Financial barriers exacerbate access challenges for insured Americans
Medicare Part D open enrollment and what recent changes mean for beneficiaries
New data show how insurers and middlemen shift Rx costs onto patients
In their own words: Insured Americans struggle to navigate complex coverage
Many seniors are paying more for Part D medicines than their insurer
New comments outline ways to protect patients from health plans and PBMs who profit from patient assistance
Busting 3 Myths About Copay Coupons
Mental Illness Awareness Week – A time for reflection
Navigating the patient experience: Burdens and barriers standing between patients and their care
Making coupons count for patients at the pharmacy counter
Insulin and reconciliation
Making coupons count for patients with HIV
Patients win as West Virginia implements first-in-nation share the savings policy
3 things voters are concerned about when it comes to their health care coverage
Copay assistance is a lifeline for patients. So why are insurers blocking it?
New poll shows voters sounding the alarm on health insurance companies and PBMs
PhRMA warns of the growing influence of middlemen over patient access and out-of-pocket costs for patients
Report finds PBMs are increasingly restricting patient access to medicines
ICYMI: PhRMA COO Lori Reilly spotlights efforts to improve health care in 2022 and beyond
Study finds insurance barriers disproportionately burden patients with chronic illness
5 public opinion polling trends to watch
Analysis: States can help patients save nearly $1,000 annually on their medicines
How standardized plans can improve patients’ access to medicines
The patient experience: Uncovering the barriers to care for insured Americans
Veterans Affairs 101: Three charts show how the VA system differs from Medicare
If drug prices are growing below the rate of inflation, why are patients still feeling the sting at the pharmacy?
The patient experience: Insurance barriers continue to impede access to health care, especially among the country’s underserved
PhRMA submits comments urging CMS to withdraw coverage proposal
New comments outline ways to counteract cost-shifting insurance trends
Patients need to pay less for their medicines. States can help.
CBO reaffirms our innovation ecosystem leads to improved lives, long-term savings
The patient experience: Insurance design hurdles lead to access issues for too many Americans
To drive up profits, hospitals continue unnecessary medicine mark-ups, burdening patients, employers and health care system
Election insights: Voter priorities in the states
PhRMA comments on HHS proposed rule on manufacturer cost-sharing assistance and accumulator adjustment programs
New whitepaper identifies reasons why ICER’s cost-effectiveness analyses are not useful for payers
Copay coupons can help ease patients’ out-of-pocket costs
ICYMI: New report outlines steps for greater transparency in health care
Health Insurance
ICYMI: New report outlines steps for greater transparency in health care
ICYMI: New report outlines steps for greater transparency in health care