Prescription Drugs for Children with Special Health Care Needs in Commercial Managed Care: Patterns of Use and Cost, 1999-2001

Although rapidly rising pharmaceutical costs have contributed to increased health expenditures nationwide, few studies have examined this trend in children with special health care needs. This study used data from two large commercial managed care plans in UnitedHealth Group to examine how many and what kinds of prescription drugs these children used, as well as their costs. The researchers found that children with special health care needs were given many different prescriptions for a wide range of drugs. Children with malignancies and catastrophic conditions had highest use rates and per member per month costs. Central nervous system/psychiatric medications were the most frequently prescribed and accounted for about a third of all drug costs for the children studied. From 1999 to 2001 prescription drug costs increased seven times more than use.