ORLANDO, Fla. — Companies that lower co-payments on prescription drugs while promoting disease management can lower their own healthcare costs, according to a three-year study commissioned by the Florida Health Care Coalition and published in the journal Health Affairs.

The study, which focused on patients with diabetes, found that companies combining disease-management programs with “value-based insurance design” can earn a return of $1.33 for every dollar they spend upfront on medication.

“Amid soaring healthcare costs, this validates that old saying that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and that’s especially true where it often hurts most: in our pocketbooks,” FHCC president and CEO Becky Cherney said.