Aetna to cut co-pays for heart patients to increase drug use

Aetna Inc., the third-largest health insurer in the U.S., will cut some co-payments on drugs aimed at preventing heart attacks after a study showed patients took their medicines and were healthier when there were no out-of- pocket costs for their treatments. The research, reported at the American Heart Association meeting in Orlando, FL, found dropping co-pays helped 40% to 55% of patients take drugs as prescribed, compared with 36% to 49%. The move lowered heart attack and stroke risk by 14%, according to the study.