Copay assistance

A health plan’s fine print hardly makes for riveting reading. So most folks just focus on the monthly premium, make sure their doctor is covered, and ensure cost-sharing responsibilities are manageable. But that fine print is important, especially when it comes to how insurers treat co-pay assistance — financial help that drug companies offer to patients to assist them with prescription drug out-of-pocket costs. Choosing a plan that doesn’t count co-pay assistance toward the deductible or out-of-pocket maximum could cost a person or family several thousand dollars per year in unexpected costs.