Colorado Medicaid Coverage Better For Diabetes Drug Access & Cost Than Marketplace Plans

Colorado Medicaid beneficiaries with diabetes had broader access to expensive prescription drugs in Medicaid than in private plans, and pharmaceutical costs for these treatments were lower for Medicaid enrollees than for Marketplace plan enrollees. Medicaid-eligible individuals were 3.7% more likely than Marketplace-eligible individuals to fill prescriptions for dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitors (antihyperglycemic medications) for type 2 diabetes. Medicaid-eligible individuals were 6.6% more likely than Marketplace-eligible individuals to fill prescriptions for sulfonylureas (a class of agents that lower blood sugar as a result of increasing release of insulin from the pancreas) for type 2 diabetes . . .