The New Hampshire Insurance Department presented data at its annual meeting denoting prescription drug expenses as the leading driver of healthcare cost in the state, New Hampshire Union Leader reports.
The department said more than $1 billion in prescription drug expenses were shouldered by patients and payers in 2015. On average, each patient received 15 prescriptions, with prescription drug costs rising 8.7 percent from 2014 to 2015.
"The 8.7 percent increase is driven solely by changes in unit costs," said Jenn Smagula, a healthcare actuary who presented data at the conference, according to the report.
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