Copay Assistance Is Meant To Defray Patient Drug Costs. Some Insurers Keep It Instead.

Larry Gruber, a psoriatic arthritis patient, found his insurer Oscar HMO of Florida withheld a drug coupon meant to reduce his out-of-pocket costs, forcing him to pay $10,600 to meet his deductible. Insurers like Oscar Health use copay accumulator programs to retain pharmaceutical company discounts, which critics argue harms patients by making medications unaffordable and allows insurers to 'double-dip' on costs.