Premium rise driven by higher drug costs. (Short Takes).According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. a new report from The Hay Group  This article or section is written like an .Please help [ rewrite this article] from a neutral point of view. Mark blatant advertising for , using . , the average increase in health care premiums for 1998-99 was 5.2 percent, up 1.7 percent over the previous year's modest increase of 3.5 percent. A good part of the increase is attributable to higher prescription costs, which are up an average of 15 percent. That rise in prescription drugs prescription drug Prescription medication Pharmacology An FDA-approved drug which must, by federal law or regulation, be dispensed only pursuant to a prescription–eg, finished dose form and active ingredients subject to the provisos of the Federal Food, Drug, , says Hay benefits expert Michael Carter, effectively bumped up total medical costs by 1,5 percent, because prescription costs average about 10 percent of total medical costs. Without the prescription drug increase, the average increase would have been only 3.7 percent. According to Carter, "we are seeing the impact of a significant rise in just one of the health care components. This rise is caused, in part, by many new, frequently prescribed pre·scribe v. pre·scribed, pre·scrib·ing, pre·scribes v.tr. 1. To set down as a rule or guide; enjoin. See Synonyms at dictate. 2. To order the use of (a medicine or other treatment). drugs that have entered the marketplace, for which there are no lower cost generic counterparts." He expects medical costs to rise more rapidly in the new few years, prompting more stringent cost control efforts by employers and insurers. James A. Hawkins is Publisher of Healthcare Briefings, a newsletter available in print, on cassette A removable magnetic tape storage module that contains supply and takeup reels (hubs) in the same housing. Most audio tapes and videotapes use cassettes as well as backup tape technologies such as DAT, 8mm and Magstar MP (see below). , via fax, and on computer disk. He car be reached at 800/338-5486. |
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