Mylan moves to hide cost of EpiPen from consumers

Mylan has been in the news a lot recently, mostly being criticized for the pricing of their popular EpiPen product. Mylan's CEO has responded by blaming health insurance plan design, saying that the rise of plan deductibles has exposed consumers to higher out-of-pocket costs. Congress has called in Mylan's CEO for a hearing, and people have suggested that a price cap of some sort should be imposed. With all of the current unpopularity, Mylan is reported as seeking another way of shielding itself from criticism: by getting EpiPen formally recognized as a preventative drug. If such a designation were to occur, most insurance companies would be required to cover the cost without imposing a co-pay on patients, leading to a classic example of a third-party payer problem (when a different party pays than the party receiving the benefit). Instead of patients trying to find more cost-effective alternatives, insurance companies would likely pass on the cost to everyone through higher premiums. As scary as it might be for current patients who are exposed to the actual price of EpiPen, the current outcry is a step forward in patients learning about the actual sale price of drugs, which might spark a broader conversation of how and which drugs are covered. If Mylan were successful in getting the desired designation, such conversation might get delayed until another drug or procedure takes its place or until premiums rise too much --which might not be that far off.

For all of the maneuvering that may have happened in the background, it is noteworthy that two non-profits declined industry funding because of a conflict of interest (and presumably putting patient interests first).