Do you really think that our Current Healthcare insurance Plans are working?
The CVS Caremark covered insurance plan has dropped Avonex, Plegridy and Extavia, three multiple sclerosis disease-modifying therapies, from their 2017 formulary.
You say, OK, but what does that really mean? If your prescription insurance is through CVS Caremark, and you want one of those drugs or one of the other 130 that were announced as off their formulary for next year, you can still get it, but you have to pay the full price. Your CVS Caremark insurance will no longer cover those costs unless your doctor is able to successfully appeal the formulary decisions.
Why would CVS do this? The bottom line is company profits for the stakeholders. CVS Health’s statement to their stockholders and clients reads:
“CVS Health is taking a stand against egregious drug price increases that unnecessarily add costs for clients and their members. On a quarterly basis, products with egregious cost inflation that have readily-available, clinically-appropriate and more cost-effective alternatives may be evaluated and potentially removed from the formulary.