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Reference Pricing of Pharmaceuticals for Medicare: Evidence from Germany, the Netherlands, and New Zealand

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Author Info
Patricia Danzon (University of Pennsylvania, and NBER)
Jonathan Ketcham (University of California, Berkeley, and University of California, San Francisco)

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Abstract

This paper describes three prototypical systems of therapeutic reference pricing (RP) for pharmaceuticals--Germany, the Netherlands, and New Zealand--and examines their effects on the availability of new drugs, reimbursement levels, manufacturer prices, and out-of-pocket surcharges to patients. RPfor pharmaceuticals is not simply analogous to a defined contribution approach to subsidizing insurance coverage. Although a major purpose of RPis to stimulate competition, theory suggests that the achievement of this goal is unlikely, and this is confirmed by the empirical evidence. Other effects of RPdiffer across countries in predictable ways, reflecting each country's system design and other cost-control policies. New Zealand's RPsystem has reduced reimbursement and limited the availability of new drugs, particularly more expensive drugs. Compared to these three countries, if RP were applied in the United States, it would likely have a more negative effect on prices of on-patent products because of the more competitive U.S. generic market, and on research and development (R&D) and the future supply of new drugs, because of the much larger U.S. share of global pharmaceutical sales.

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Publisher Info
Article provided by Berkeley Electronic Press in its journal Forum for Health Economics & Policy.

Volume (Year): 7 (2004)
Issue (Month): 1 ()
Pages: 1050-1050
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Handle: RePEc:bep:fhecpo:v:7:y:2004:i:1:p:1050-1050

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References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
  1. Danzon, Patricia M. & Chao, Li-Wei, 2000. "Cross-national price differences for pharmaceuticals: how large, and why?," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 19(2), pages 159-195, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. Zweifel, Peter & Crivelli, Luca, 1996. "Price Regulation of Drugs: Lessons from Germany," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 10(3), pages 257-73, November.
  3. Zeckhauser, Richard, 1970. "Medical insurance: A case study of the tradeoff between risk spreading and appropriate incentives," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 2(1), pages 10-26, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. Ching-To Albert Ma & Michael H. Riordan, 2002. "Health Insurance, Moral Hazard, and Managed Care," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 11(1), pages 81-107, 03. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  5. Lopez-Casasnovas, Guillem & Puig-Junoy, Jaume, 2000. "Review of the literature on reference pricing," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 54(2), pages 87-123, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Kurt R. Brekke & Astrid L. Grasdal & Tor Helge Holmås, 2007. "Regulation and Pricing of Pharmaceuticals: Reference Pricing or Price Cap Regulation?," CESifo Working Paper Series CESifo Working Paper No. , CESifo GmbH. [Downloadable!]
  2. Kurt R. Brekke & Ingrid Königbauer & Odd Rune Straume, 2006. "Reference Pricing of Pharmaceuticals," CESifo Working Paper Series CESifo Working Paper No. , CESifo GmbH. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  3. Alka Chadha & Åke Blomqvist, 2005. "Patent Races, “Me-Too” Drugs, and Generics: A Developing-World Perspective," Departmental Working Papers wp0513, National University of Singapore, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
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