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Dear Physician and Office Staff: For most of this year, we have been shouting from the rooftops about the benefits of using generic drugs. Hopefully, you saw some of the stories about the availability of new generics in this magazine. If not, you may have received a letter from us about generic alternatives for such blockbuster drugs as Zocor, Coreg and Ambien. Or, you may have received an alert on your Epocrates® tool about these changes. We also developed a number of programs to promote generic utilization among our members, including an initiative earlier this year that rewarded commercial members with a free copayment for switching from a brand-name drug to a generic in one of six drug classes. Members realized an annualized savings of more than $1 million in out-of-pocket costs through this program. More recently, we waived the first copayment of a generic equivalent for commercial members who moved their prescription to RightSourceSM, Humana's prescription home delivery service. Other insurers, retailers and pharmacies are offering different incentives and/or discounts to promote generic utilization. Wal-Mart, for example, offers certain generic prescription drugs for $4. The company recently said $4 generics account for more than 35 percent of the orders it fills. You might be wondering "why all the hoopla about generic drugs?" After all, generics have been around for a long time. However, there have never been so many choices available to treat so many conditions, including diabetes, hypertension, depression and high cholesterol, to name a few. With so many options, it is easier than ever for consumers, employers and, yes, even insurance companies to save money through generics. Everybody is looking to control health care costs. Generics are part of the solution. According to the Generic Pharmaceutical Association, the cost of a drug drops between 30 percent and 80 percent once it becomes available as a generic. Let me give you an example of the power of generics. A member in some of our plans pays a $35 copayment for a 30-day supply of Zocor. Other members pay only $5 for the same supply of Zocor's generic equivalent, simvastatin. Over a full year, that amounts to $360 savings, just by switching one prescription. Generics aren't just about dollars and cents. They are about improving patient outcomes, too. Our members are able to improve their health by faithfully following your instructions. Of course, this includes taking the right medicine in the right dosage. And, as you know, generics are bioequivalent to their brand-name counterparts in terms of quality, strength, purity and stability. That is why we will continue to do our best to keep you and your Humana-insured patients informed of the latest cost-saving generics that hit the market. We hope you will prescribe them, whenever appropriate. Sincerely,
Bruce Perkins |
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