A study of 10 years of insurance claims showed that as co-pays went up, the amount of medication kids got went down.
"Over the course of a year, many of these children were taking less than 50 per cent of the medicine that's required to control their condition," says Dana Goldman, Ph.D., on the University of Southern California. She was one of the lead researchers on the project, which was published in this week's Journal of the American Medical AssociationAnd that lead to more hospitalizations.
Dr. Goldman says, "Kids in the higher cost plans had about 33 per cent higher rates of hospitalization than those who were in plans that charged them less for these medications."
Doctors made an interesting finding - the higher co-pays didn't seem to affect children under 5. They took the same amount of medication, regardless what parents had to pay out-of-pocket.
However, those between 6 and 18 years of age, didn;t always get what they needed.
If you are having trouble paying for kids' medication, talk to your doctor or pharmacist to find some alternatives or assistance.
