Is access sufficient? An examination of the effects of the MedShare program to expand access to prescription drugs for indigent populations.

We conduct an evaluation of MedShare, a program designed to enhance access to prescription drugs for indigent patients in the Greater Cincinnati area. The program expands access to drugs by providing subsidies to reduce the costs paid by patients for their prescriptions. The assumption is that by expanding access to prescription drugs, participant health outcomes as measured by quality of life improve. Although the program appears outwardly successful, we found little difference between program participants and comparison groups. We feel that these findings point to a major flaw with existing health policy: access alone is not sufficient to improve health outcomes. Too often programs are created and, provided they show outwards signs of success (e.g., enrollment and utilization), are assumed to be improving the health of the community. Our findings indicate that one must look beyond just expanding access to ensure that programs are indeed achieving their overall objectives.