Insurers Push Use of Generic Drugs
Tuesday, October 23rd, 2001 Liability Workers' CompensationInsurers are coming up with ways to keep down pharmacy costs as prescription drugs become the fastest-growing portion of the health-care dollar, according to the article, "Insurers Looking to Cut Costs are Pushing Use of Generic Drugs," in the Sept. 10 issue of BestWeek. One example is Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, which will be launching a campaign, called "Generic Drugs, the Unadvertised Brand," to boost the amount of generic drugs used by its members. "With trends nationally in the 15% to 20% range year over year, any step that lowers the cost of prescriptions goes along way to reducing the pharmacy trend," said Glen Perry, director of pharmacy services administration for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. He points out that prescription drugs represent the largest single program payout at Blue Cross.
