According to researchers, "Whileconsumers are experiencing more cost sharing that in fact shiftsmore of the drug cost burden on to them, on balance in the USconsumers have experienced substantial price declines."
A new study finds that generic drugs are a good deal forconsumers; even given the cost-shifting that comes with some healthplans, generic prices have gone down steadily in recent years.However, the move to high-deductible health plans means thatconsumers have seen fewer overall savings than they might have.
The study by the National Bureau of Economic Research(NBER), assisted by a grant from the National Institutes of Health,looked at prices for generic drugs between 2007 and 2016. Theresearchers noted that media accounts have reported sharp increasesin specific generic drugs. A 2018 study by USC found an increase in cases ofprice increases for some generic drugs—but even that study foundincreases in less than 5 percent of all generic drugs.
Lower prices mirrored in two cost indexes
Of course, a sharp price increase can be significant, evendevastating, for consumers who rely on a specific drug. But for thevast majority of the market, the NBER study shows, generic costshave continued to go down.
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