Double dipping.
That's how some
advocates describe
the practice of
copay accumulators.
I'm Marisa Wojcik
"Here & Now" series producer
and multimedia journalist.
In our five-part series
Rx Uncovered
we look at why patients
can't afford the
medication they need.
Imagine you have to
pay for a really
expensive medication
and when someone else
like the drug manufacturer
gives you money
to help you afford it
your health plan refuses
to let any of that money
count towards your deductible
or out-of-pocket maximum.
That's called
a copay accumulator.
They weren't shipping it
and so I kept calling
and saying, well
why isn't this shipping?
They're like, you owe $6,000.
And I'm like
what do you mean?
I owe $6,000?
Tamara's drugs for her
debilitating illness
suddenly went from being
mostly covered
by financial assistance
to costing her
thousands.
They wouldn't send
her medication
until she came up
with the cash.
In Rx Uncovered
we look at
the hidden ways
patients can lose out
on the medicines
they need to survive.
Find more
at pbswisconsin.org.