Table 6

Prescription drug charges and the demand for other health services

Good/service affected
Variable
Effect
Study

OTC drugs
Co-insurance
-
Liebowitz [32] (US, ES, CD, R)

Insurance coverage



     Supplementary (vs. none)
+
Caussat and Glaude [34] (FR, OS, CD, R)

     Supplementary (vs. none)
-
Stuart and Grana [33] (US, OS, CD, R)

Prescription limit
+
Cox et al. [35] (US, OS, CD, R)
physician services
Co-payment
-
Anis et al. [129] (CA, OS, PD, R); Balkrishnan et al. [130] (US, NS, PD, R); Lauterbach et al. [131] (GE, OS, CD, R); Winkelmann [132] (GE, NS, PD, R); Winkelmann [133] (GE, NS, CD, R)

Co-payment
0
Gardner et al. [29] (US, NS, TD, R)

Multi-tier formulary (vs. 1- or 2-tiers)
0
Motheral and Fairman [28] (US, NS, CD, R)

Reference pricing
-
Hazlet and Blough [36] (CA, NS, TD, R)

Mixed system
+
Li et al. [31] (CA, NS, PD, R)

Change from



     co-insurance to deductible and co-insurance
0
Pilote et al. [30] (CA, NS, CD, R)

Insurance coverage



     Public Supplementary (vs. private)
+
Raynaud [134] (FR, OS, CD, R)

Reimbursement limit
-
Hsu et al. [135] (US, OS, PD, R)
outpatient services
Co-payment
+
Balkrishnan et al. [130] (US, NS, PD, R)

Mixed system
+
Gaynor et al. [99] (US, OS, PD, R)

Insurance coverage



     Public supplementary (vs. none)
+
Raynaud [134] (FR, OS, CD, R)
inpatient services
Co-payment
+
Anis et al. [129] (CA, OS, PD, R); Atella et al. [76] (IT, NS, CD, R); Balkrishnan et al. [130] (US, NS, PD, R)

Co-payment
0
Gardner et al. [29] (US, NS, TD, R)

Reference pricing
0
Hazlet and Blough [36] (CA, NS, TD, R)

Multi-tier formulary (vs. 1- or 2-tiers)
0
Motheral and Fairman [28] (US, NS, CD, R)

Mixed system
0
Gaynor et al. [99] (US, OS, PD, R)

Insurance coverage



     Supplementary (vs. none)
-
Schoen et al. [74] (US, NS, CD, NR)

     Public supplementary drug (vs. private)
-
Lingle et al. [136] (US, OS, CD, R)

Prescription limit
0
Soumerai et al. [38] (US, NS, TD, R)

Prescription limit
+
Soumerai et al. [37] (US, NS, TD, R)

Reimbursement limit
+
Hsu et al. [135] (US, OS, PD, R)
ER visits
Multi-tier formulary (vs. 1- or 2-tiers)
0
Motheral and Fairman [28] (US, NS, CD, R)

Reference pricing
+
Hazlet and Blough [36] (CA, NS, TD, R)

Change from



     co-payment to co-insurance and annual maximum
+
Tamblyn et al. [72] (CA, NS, TD, R)

     co-insurance to deductible and co-insurance
0
Pilote et al. [30] (CA, NS, CD, R)

Reimbursement limit
+
Hsu et al. [135] (US, OS, PD, R)

Prescription limit
+
Soumerai et al. [37] (US, NS, TD, R)
emergency mental health services
Prescription limit
+
Soumerai et al. [38] (US, NS, TD, R)
nursing home admissions
Prescription limit
+
Soumerai et al. [38] (US, NS, TD, R)

Country: CA = Canada; FR = France; GE = Germany; IT = Italy; US = United States

Type of study: ES = experimental study; NS = natural study; OS = observational study

Type of data analyzed: CD = cross-sectional data; TD = time-series data; PD = panel data

Type of statistical analysis used: R = regression techniques; NR = no regression techniques

Gemmill et al. International Journal for Equity in Health 2008 7:12   doi:10.1186/1475-9276-7-12