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This may lead to irreversible disease progression and loss of therapeutic effectiveness. When patients cannot afford their drug and are forced to go without, their care is disrupted.
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They can pay the hefty, out-of-pocket bill, or they can abandon the medication upon which they now depend. This leaves patients with a difficult choice. After patients exhaust their co-pay card, they will discover that they still have hundreds or thousands of dollars due in out-of-pocket payments before their deductible is met. You may recognize Copay Accumulator by other names UnitedHealthcare uses the term Coupon Adjustment: Benefit Plan Protection program, Express Scripts. But health plans do not apply the co-pay card payments toward a patient’s annual deductible. Under co-pay accumulator adjustment programs, the cards still allow patients to access their medication. When co-pay cards count toward both the co-pay and the annual deductible, it makes medications more affordable and increases access to prescribed treatment. By the time patients exhaust their co-pay card, they have typically met their annual deductible and can afford the basic co-pay – say, $5, $10 or $15. This financial assistance is especially helpful during the first few months of the year, when patients might otherwise be asked to pay their entire annual deductible amount in just a few pharmacy visits or even a single pharmacy visit.
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Some patients rely on co-pay cards to cover the out-of-pocket cost of drugs they need for chronic conditions. What is a co-pay accumulator adjustment program? How does it impact access to care?
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