Quantifying the Prescription Drug Insurance Coverage Population During a Pandemic Influenza Event

The intent of this policy-based research was to increase the body of knowledge which informed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) public health understanding of the underinsured and uninsured population that may have limited access to antiviral drugs during a pandemic due to product costs and fees associated with prescription drug dispensing when drugs are provided through pharmacies in the United States. A quantitative analysis was conducted to evaluate the state-by-state levels of health insurance coverage for individuals that are classified as Medicare, Medicaid, uninsured, and underinsured, by reviewing policy briefs from the Kaiser Foundation, the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Various figures and tables were produced that provided findings for the vulnerable population groups and the costs associated with the antiviral drugs, Tamiflu and Relenza, without insurance coverage. Our research concluded that quantifying the insurance coverage population can effectively drive improvements in public health’s response during a pandemic influenza event.