Throughout 2015 Community Health Options (formerly Maine Community Health Options) has provided its Members with $0 co-payments on Tier 1 medications at Hannaford Pharmacies, Community Pharmacies, and The Pharmacy at Maine Medical Center. This pilot program will be ending Dec. 31, 2015, and will not continue into the 2016 plan year.
The pilot was designed to be of limited duration and to determine if $0 copays and pharmacist involvement could move utilization from higher cost generics to lower cost generics.
The regionally-based pharmacies chosen for this pilot were those identified as best positioned to move Members to higher generic dispensing rates (GDR), having a local presence, and having the ability to help move Members from higher cost generics to lower cost generics.
While CHO has seen positive changes and improvements occur, the costs of foregone copayments are not made up by similar gains in the shift to lower cost generics. Given the results of the program as well as the cost constraints in 2016, CHO is moving to end this pilot at the close of the year.
CHO’s Chronic Illness Support Program (CISP) continues to waive co-payments on certain plans for Tier 1 drugs specific to the proper management of five major chronic conditions on certain plans throughout our pharmacy network. Community Health Options Members do not need to apply for that program, but simply need to have their prescriptions filled. Adjustments to those claims occur at the point of sale and are automatic. The 2016 HDHP Preventive Drug list will still be available for some HSA-compatible group plans.
For more information, a PDF from Community Health Options.
