New Health Insurance Fee For Research Sparks Questions.

The AP (12/28, Alonso-Zaldivar) reports, “Starting in 2012, the government will charge a new fee to your health insurance plan for research to find out which drugs, medical procedures, tests and treatments work best.” While the goal “is to answer such basic questions as whether that new prescription drug advertised on TV really works better than an old generic costing much less,” the piece notes that “the idea of medical effectiveness research is eyed with suspicion.” Kathryn Nix, a policy analyst for the Heritage Foundation, remarked, “The more concerning thing is not the institute itself, but how the findings will be used in other areas. Will they be used to make coverage determinations?”

Contact Insurance Solutions to find out more about your health insurance plan.