BCBSNC Offers Free Generic Prescriptions
In an effort to assist North Carolinians through tough financial times brought on by the global recession, Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC) has waived the co-payments on generic prescription drugs for the first half of 2009 (through June ‘09). The waiver supplements a similar program that BCBSNC is running in 2008 called “Medication Dedication” which has saved members $13Million in out of pocket costs thus far.
About 1 Million BCBSNC members are eligible for the 2009 Program, including:
- Blue Advantage customers
- Medicare Supplement customers (whose plans include prescription drug coverage)
- Many members who are covered by BCBSNC through their employer groups and
- Members of self-funded employer groups if their group has pharmacy benefits through BCBSNC and have chosen to participate in the program.
BCBSNC first launched programs to waive co-pays on generic prescription drugs in 2004, and have seen a marked increase in generic prescription utilization as a result. The shift to generics from brand name prescriptions is important to insurance companies because it helps keep health care costs down as generics cost a fraction of what brand name drugs cost, and contain the same active ingrediants. The cost savings ultimately get passed back to the customers in the form of lower premiums based on the utilization costs.
