Specialty Drugs in Breast Cancer: Health Care Utilization and Costs in the First Year after Diagnosis

Beth Carter, AARP Public Policy Institute

Leigh Purvis, AARP Public Policy Institute

Published March 20, 2019

This AARP Public Policy Institute analysis of insurance claims data shows that breast cancer patients taking specialty drugs often incur substantial medical costs in addition to the costs specifically associated with the specialty drugs themselves.

Breast cancer patients ages 50 and older who used specialty drugs to treat their condition faced $120,000 in health care costs, on average, in the first year after diagnosis. Roughly 90 percent of these costs were driven by utilization of both inpatient and outpatient services, rather than the specialty drugs themselves.

MORE FROM AARP

RX pharmacy prescription bottle of pills

Prescription Drug Costs a Major Concern for Older Voters

Older adults are concerned about high prescription drug prices, but few know about the new law enacted in 2022 to bring down drug prices for consumers.

Medication Literacy Series: Drug Formularies

This Fact Sheet highlights the essential components of drug formularies and considers the challenges that older adults, particularly those with low medication literacy, face when responding to the impacts and implications of formularies annually and throughout the plan year.

Senior man paying contactless at Pharmacy

This AARP Public Policy Institute Spotlight report finds that list prices for 25 top Medicare Part D drugs have increased by an average of 226 percent—or more than tripled—since they first entered the market, greatly exceeding the corresponding rate of general inflation. The report is based on an analysis of 2021 data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Medicare Part D Spending by Drug Dashboard, and Medi-Span Price Rx Pro.

Virginia State Capitol Building On Field Against Blue Sky

Virginia Voters Are Concerned About Drug Affordability

Prescription drug affordability is a concern for many Virginia voters. They call for a Prescription Drug Affordability Board to address the issue.

Medication Literacy Series: Medication Management

This Fact Sheet explores the range of formal medication management programs that are available and the challenges that older adults, especially those with limited medication literacy—the ability to obtain information about medication, process it, and use the information to make medication decisions—and their family caregivers face when trying to manage their medications.