AJMC March 14, 2025
Michael Chernew, PhD, professor of health care policy and director of the Healthcare Markets and Regulation Lab, Harvard Medical School, shares how cost-sharing policies shape access to critical health care services and influence value-based insurance design.
Policy makers have long worried that reducing cost-sharing would lead to health care overuse, but research shows that lowering or eliminating these costs can enhance patient outcomes.1 By improving access to essential care and supporting treatment adherence, especially for vulnerable populations, reducing financial barriers may help ensure patients receive the care they need.
This insight led to a groundbreaking shift in thinking, suggesting that eliminating cost-sharing for high-value services wasn’t a moral hazard but a smart investment in health, according to Michael Chernew, PhD,...