Oakland TribuneInsurers
offer coupons for generic drugs Blue Cross of California, Blue Shield of California, Health Net of
California and PacifiCare Health Systems will send physicians coupons
good for up to $10 towards the co-payment for patients' first generic
prescription. The majority of members pay a $10 co-payment for prescriptions,
so that means their first prescription will be free.
Called Generic Advantage, the program is the first of its kind in California
and the largest such program in the nation. It will focus on generic
drugs for the six most commonly prescribed ailments -- arthritis, acid
reflux, diabetes, depression, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
"The purpose of Generic Advantage is to sensitize patients to the value
and efficacy of generic drugs," said Dr. Robert Seidman, vice president
and chief pharmacy officer for Blue Cross of California.
The health plans -- which cover 15 million Californians -- also will
mail the 15,000 participating physicians brochures on the value and
safety of generics.
The generics included were chosen by two faculty members of the University
of Southern California Schools of Pharmacy and Medicine, based on effectiveness
and cost.
"Once generic versions become available and their marketing, advertising
and sampling programs cease, their use typically falls below what may
still be therapeutically appropriate," said Dr. Glen L. Stimmel, who
developed the drug list, in a statement.
In other words, the insurers are saying to patients: If you suffer
from high cholesterol, ask your doctor about the generic Lovastatin,
instead of the brand-names Lipitor or Mevacor.
Patients will get a chart comparing the brand name drug they are familiar
with -- such as Prozac and Zantac -- with its generic equivalent. They
even can agree to place a card in their medical chart that tells physicians
they prefer generics.
Switching just a fraction of patients to low-cost generics can amount
to huge savings for patients as well as the insurers. Patients typically
have a smaller co-pay for generics than brand-name drugs, so switching
to a generic can amount to hundreds of dollars a year in savings, health
plan officials said.
Generics already account for 53 percent of Blue Cross of California's
overall prescription drug usage. But persuading just 2 percent more
members to move to a generic would equal a cost savings of $12 million
a year, Seidman said.
Officials from the four plans said this savings would help hold down
member co-pays and premiums in the long run.
The initial campaign will cost the four health plans about $250,000.
Two faculty members from the Haas School of Business at University of
California, Berkeley will monitor and evaluate the program for its effectiveness.
Jamie Court of the advocacy group Foundation for Taxpayers and Consumer
Rights, which has been critical of insurance company profits and spiraling
health care costs, said the program doesn't get to the heart of the
problem.
"It's the doctors -- not the patients -- who are being lobbied aggressively
by pharmaceutical companies," Court said. "I don't see how this will
help that."
Seidman of Blue Cross of California said that by getting patients involved,
physicians will be more open to generics.
"I believe as long as questions start being asked about generic drugs,
doctors will prescribe them where appropriate," Seidman said.
Contact Rebecca Vesely at rvesely@angnewspapers.com .
Article originally posted at http://www.oaklandtribune.com/Stories/0,1413,82~1865~1635143,00.html |