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Pricing and Reimbursement in U.S. Pharmaceutical Markets

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  • Berndt, Ernst R.

    (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

  • Newhouse, Joseph P.

    (Harvard University)

Abstract

In this survey chapter on pricing and reimbursement in U.S. pharmaceutical markets, we first provide background information on important federal legislation, institutional details regarding distribution channel logistics, definitions of alternative price measures, related historical developments, and reasons why price discrimination is highly prevalent among branded pharmaceuticals. We then present a theoretical framework for the pricing of branded pharmaceuticals, without and then in the presence of prescription drug insurance, noting factors affecting the relative impacts of drug insurance on prices and on utilization. With this as background, we summarize major long-term trends in copayments and coinsurance rates for retail and mail order purchases, average percentage discounts off Average Whole Price paid by third party payers to pharmacy benefit managers as well as average dispensing fees, and generic penetration rates. We conclude with a summary of the evidence regarding the impact of the 2006 implementation of the Medicare Part D benefits on pharmaceutical prices and utilization, and comment on very recent developments concerning the entry of large retailers such as Wal-Mart into domains traditionally dominated by large retail chains and the "commoditization" of generic drugs.

Suggested Citation

  • Berndt, Ernst R. & Newhouse, Joseph P., 2010. "Pricing and Reimbursement in U.S. Pharmaceutical Markets," Working Paper Series rwp10-039, Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government.
    • Handle: RePEc:ecl:harjfk:rwp10-039
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    Cited by:

    1. Ernst Berndt & Murray Aitken, 2011. "Brand Loyalty, Generic Entry and Price Competition in Pharmaceuticals in the Quarter Century after the 1984 Waxman-Hatch Legislation," International Journal of the Economics of Business, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 18(2), pages 177-201.
    2. Laura Birg, 2023. "Pharmaceutical regulation under market integration through parallel trade," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 56(4), pages 1322-1346, November.
    3. Nguyen Xuan Nguyen & Steven H. Sheingold & Wafa Tarazi & Arielle Bosworth, 2022. "Effect of Competition on Generic Drug Prices," Applied Health Economics and Health Policy, Springer, vol. 20(2), pages 243-253, March.
    4. Bokhari, Farasat A.S. & Mariuzzo, Franco, 2018. "Demand estimation and merger simulations for drugs: Logits v. AIDS," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 653-685.
    5. Berndt Ernst R. & McGuire Thomas & Newhouse Joseph P., 2011. "A Primer on the Economics of Prescription Pharmaceutical Pricing in Health Insurance Markets," Forum for Health Economics & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 14(1), pages 1-30, November.
    6. Lee Branstetter & Chirantan Chatterjee & Matthew J. Higgins, 2016. "Regulation and welfare: evidence from paragraph IV generic entry in the pharmaceutical industry," RAND Journal of Economics, RAND Corporation, vol. 47(4), pages 857-890, November.
    7. Leslie Wilson & Fatema Turkistani & Dang M. Tran & Wei Huang & Tracy Kuo Lin, 2019. "Financial Impact of Alternative Pricing Benchmarks for Physician-Dispensed Drugs in the California Workers’ Compensation System," Applied Health Economics and Health Policy, Springer, vol. 17(2), pages 231-242, April.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D40 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure, Pricing, and Design - - - General
    • I11 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Analysis of Health Care Markets
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • L11 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Production, Pricing, and Market Structure; Size Distribution of Firms
    • L65 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Manufacturing - - - Chemicals; Rubber; Drugs; Biotechnology; Plastics

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