Why Are Copay Waivers So Popular?

It seems like whenever I talk to companies about adherence one of first things they want to discuss is copay relief.  It’s a solution I’ve used before so it’s certainly rationale.  But, let’s not forget that cost is not the primary reason for non-adherence.  Forgetfulness and lack of health literacy are often big drivers of non-adherence with medications.  This is easily validated when comparing lift in medication possession ratio (or more tactically refill rate) by looking at copay waiver type program (value-based design) versus communication programs.

Given that copay waivers often require $10+ per month and other programs can be conducted for much less, I question the ROI.  I’d love to see a head-to-head test.  Try education and refill reminders versus copay waivers to see which yielded a greater MPR improvement.