Table 2.
Difference between RETA Trust and Union Trust in the Share of Prescriptions for Lowest-Priced Drugs within a Therapeutic Class, in Average Drug Prices, and in Patients’ Copayments (2010–2014).*
| Variable | Share of Prescriptions for Lowest-Priced Drugs† | Average Drug Price per Prescription‡ | Copayment per Prescription§ |
|---|---|---|---|
| percentage points (95% CI) | % (95% CI) | ||
| Difference between RETA Trust and union trust after implementation of reference pricing | 7.0 (4.0 to 9.9)¶ | −13.9 (−23.8 to −2.7)|| | 5.2 (0.2 to 10.4)|| |
|
| |||
| Difference between RETA Trust and union trust before implementation of reference pricing | −2.6 (−4.6 to −0.6)|| | 10.6 (−2.3 to 25.2) | 30.9 (15.1 to 48.9)¶ |
|
| |||
| Difference between RETA Trust and union trust in average market trends in first 12 mo after implementation of reference pricing | 0.8 (0.1 to 1.5)|| | −12.2 (−17.9 to −6.1)¶ | −4.9 (−8.1 to −1.5)¶ |
|
| |||
| Difference between RETA Trust and union trust in average market trends in period from 13 to 18 mo after implementation of reference pricing | 1.3 (0.1 to 2.5)|| | −18.7 (−26.0 to −10.7)¶ | −12.2 (−16.6 to −7.7)¶ |
Shown are estimates from the difference-in-differences regression analyses of the association between the implementation of reference pricing by the RETA Trust in July 2013 and three key end points, as compared with the union trust, for 1,122,741 prescriptions. Coefficients for the drug price and copayment have been log-transformed so that the values can be directly interpreted as percentages. CI denotes confidence interval.
This column shows the between-group difference in the percentage of prescriptions that were filled for the reference drugs within each therapeutic class after adjustment for changes that occurred at the union trust and for the patient’s sex and for the drug therapeutic class.
This column shows the relative percent difference between the RETA Trust and the union trust in drug prices, after adjustment for market trends that affected the two groups equally.
This column shows the relative percent difference between the RETA Trust and the union trust in patients’ copayments, after adjustment for the initial difference and the overall trend in copayments.
P<0.01.
P<0.05.