Journal Articles

Is Access Sufficient? An Examination of the Effects of the MedShare Program to Expand Access to Prescription Drugs for Indigent Populations

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We conduct an evaluation of MedShare, a program designed to enhance access to prescription drugs for indigent patients in the Greater Cincinnati area. The program expands access to drugs by providing subsidies to reduce the costs paid by patients for their prescriptions. The assumption is that by expanding access to prescription drugs, participant health outcomes as measured by quality of life improve. Although the program appears outwardly successful, we found little difference between program participants and comparison groups. We feel that these findings point to a major flaw with existing health policy: access alone is not sufficient to improve health outcomes. Too often programs are created and, provided they show outwards signs of success (e.g., enrollment and utilization), are assumed to be improving the health of the community. Our findings indicate that one must look beyond just expanding access to ensure that programs are indeed achieving their overall objectives

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Detail Information

Series Title

Evaluation Review

Call Number

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Publisher

California : Sage Publications., 2008

Collation

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Language

English

ISBN/ISSN

0193-841X

Classification

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Content Type

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Media Type

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Carrier Type

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Edition

Vol. 32, No. 6, December 2008. Page 526-546

Subject(s)

Evaluation
Policy
Health
Prescriptions
Access
Is Access Sufficient

Specific Detail Info

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Statement of Responsibility

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