Payers Test Ways to Control Rising Cost of Diabetes Drugs With Chart: Current Market Access to Select Insulin Drugs
With the cost of diabetes drugs still growing, PBMs and payers are looking for more innovative strategies to hold down costs. For some, that might include a strategy similar to the one recently unveiled by CVS Health Corp.’s Caremark unit. The plan, called RxZERO, offers a slimmer formulary for the diabetes drug class, but with no out-of-pocket costs for members. CVS says employers or insurers that pick this plan should expect to save about $30 annually per member.
Mike Schneider, a principal in the commercialization and market access practice at Avalere Health, says the plan is innovative. “You’ve seen Express Scripts do something where they’re offering specific insulins at very low out-of-pocket costs, but this is the first time I’ve seen a PBM come up with a way to eliminate out-of-pocket costs completely,” he tells AIS Health.
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