The trend has been for managed care organizations and employers to require patients to bear a greater out-of-pocket burden for health care resources consumed. This study illustrates the potential adverse effects of higher patient cost sharing among patients with hypertension stratified by different risk levels. A decrease in the proportion of days covered was predictive of higher resource utilization and health care costs, which should be of interest to payers and employers alike.

This study was published by Dovepress Journal.