Co-pays for high price drugs soar in USA, says NYT

Health insurance companies in the USA are adopting a new pricing system for very expensive drugs, asking patients to pay hundreds and even thousands of dollars for prescriptions for medications that may save their lives or slow the progress of serious diseases, says the New York Times.

With the new pricing system, insurers gave up the traditional arrangement that has patients pay a fixed amount, like $10, $20 or $30 for a prescription, no matter what the drug's actual cost. Instead, they are charging a percentage of the cost of certain high-priced drugs, usually 20% to 33%, which can amount to thousands of dollars a month. The system means that the burden of expensive health care can now affect insured people. The prices of some specialty medicines - such as for cancer, multiple sclerosis and hepatitis C can range from around $5,000 to as much as $389,000, and these have been rising faster than mainstream drugs.

In a later story, "Paid to control costs, yet pushing some prices higher," the NYT blames high prices on those who dispense biotechnology products and manage related care.