DO OPEN FORMULARIES INCREASE ACCESS TO CLINICALLY USEFUL DRUGS

Before 1990 many state Medicaid programs maintained ''restrictive'' fo rmularies, which denied reimbursement for unlisted prescription drugs. This type of formulary has been criticized for denying important medi cations to poor, medically needy persons. As part of the Omnibus Budge t Reconciliation Act of 1990, restrictive formularies in Medicaid prog rams were disallowed. Based on research into the 200 top-selling presc ription drugs in the United States, we conclude that eliminating Medic aid restrictive formularies improved access to a subset of the 200 bes t sellers, but that the majority of these products offered only questi onable or no additional therapeutic benefit.