Employer-mandated enrollment in a high-deductible health plan did not reduce use of oral targeted anticancer medications among patients commercially insured between 2007 and 2021.
ABSTRACT
Out-of-pocket (OOP) spending obligations associated with high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) may reduce health care utilization, but evidence on how enrollment in HDHPs affects use of oral targeted anticancer medications (OTAMs) is limited. We used difference-in-differences regression analyses to examine the associations among employer-mandated enrollment in an HDHP, OOP spending, and use of OTAMs in a commercially insured population between 2007 and 2021. Among users of OTAMs, we found that HDHP enrollment may have increased OOP spending but was not associated with reductions in the use of these anticancer agents over a 1-year follow-up period. Research should continue to examine the links among patient cost sharing, cancer care utilization, and spending trade-offs, particularly for low-income patients with cancer…