UnitedHealthcare Will Share Rebates with Patients

On March 6, 2018, UnitedHealthcare announced that beginning in 2019, the company will expand its pharmacy discounts to the seven million enrollees who are in fully insured commercial group plans at the point of sale for drugs, if a rebate is offered by the manufacturer. The savings will apply to plan participants who are filling a prescription for a drug where the manufacturer provides a rebate. The savings from the rebates will be applied upfront, at the time of the sale, to ensure that patients are paying the lowest amount possible under their insurance plan. UHC notes that currently, rebates are used to keep premiums lower for the benefit of all insurance-holders, rather than be distributed to benefit individual consumers. According to the press release, plan participants will be able to log into their online account through UnitedHealthcare to see what the discounted cost of their drug will be, which will show savings from the rebate. Not all drugs come with rebates that are paid to the health plan and it is likely that patients with high deductibles who buy drugs that carry large rebates will see the largest savings. Further, the amount of rebates can vary widely, with some drugs, like Humira and Enbrel that treat rheumatoid arthritis, being deeply discounted. Others, like medicines for rare conditions where there is no significant competition, have little to no rebates.  “UnitedHealthcare is uniquely positioned to deliver new value and clarity to health care,...
Source: Policy and Medicine - Category: American Health Authors: Source Type: blogs