To Stretch Your Health Dollar: Know Your Pharmacy Benefit by Lisa Chavis (NAPSA)}—Every year millions of Americansenroll in a new health benefit package that may be quite different from theprior year’s plan. It’s important to understand the changes in the new plan, including what medications are covered, how muchthey will cost and where you can get prescriptionsfilled. Here are tips to help you better understand your benefit plan and waysto stretch yourhealth care dollar. Go Generic: Generics are FDA-approved bio-equivalents of the brand-name drug and can cost up to 70 percent less. Ask your doctor or pharmacist about them— according to a recent mma, Medco survey, three | out of four patients Lisa Chavis who did say they ————_ were recommended a generic. Consider Plan-Preferred Brand-Name Drugs: Thelist of prescription drugs covered by your plan is called a formulary and often includes “preferred drugs,” medications that your plan considers a better value and may be available to you at a lower out-ofpocket cost. If a generic is not available, ask your doctorif a preferred drug mightbe right for you. Take the First Step with OverThe-Counter (OTC) Drugs: In some cases OTCscan be an effective treatment and are less expensive than most prescription medications; a growing numberof heavily prescribed prescription drugs have been approved for OTC use, including Claritin™ and Prilosec”. OTCs can be paid for using pretax contributions to flexible spending accounts, reducing the cost of these medications by more than 30 percent. Use Mail Order or an Online Pharmacy: Mail order costs are typically 10 percent lower than retail and can provide Being a cost-conscious con- sumer could mean hundreds of dollars in prescription drug savings. a three-month supply of medication rather than the 30-day supply at retail; it’s also convenient, since it’s delivered to your door. Using an Internet pharmacy not only makes ordering prescriptions easy, it lets you check your formulary and compare drug prices; some even sendrefill reminders. Lower Your Preventive Medication Costs: If you’re covered undera high-deductible, consumer-directed plan such as a health care savings account, you maybe able to save on preventive medications. Some plans will waive deductibles for preventive medications to lower out-of-pocket expenses. Learn About Your Medicare Options: Medicare’s new Part D program presents employers with new benefit options for retired employees that may significantly change retiree coverage. If you’re looking to retire, find out whether your benefits will be handled through Medicare, by your employer or both. Lisa Chavis, RPh, is a lead pharmacist for the Drug Utilization Review Department at Medco Health Solutions, Inc. Her books include “The Family Pharmacist” and “Ask Your Pharmacist.”
