Over the past five years, drug costs as a percent of total health care dollars have increased 30 percent. These increases have caused prescription drugs to become more costly for many individuals and families. To help, starting January 1, 2019, Blue Cross NC will be passing back drug rebates directly to customers when they buy […]
One way to reduce the impact of the opioid epidemic is to ensure that people have access to safe therapies that treat opioid use disorder. To that end, Blue Cross NC is taking steps to help patients get the care they need while ensuring their safety. On Nov. 1, we stopped requiring doctors to get […]
Every day, opioid addiction destroys lives and tears apart families in North Carolina. It is a public health emergency that Blue Cross NC is committed to addressing. We’re announcing three policy changes for opioid prescriptions and treatment for opioid dependency. These changes will help prevent addiction, treat dependency, and save lives. The three changes are: […]
Would you pay $17 for a gallon of milk? You would have to if the cost of milk had increased 500 percent in the last 15 years. Unfortunately, that’s how fast costs for oral chemotherapy drugs are rising – from approximately $2,000 a month to $10,000 a month. Meanwhile, IV chemotherapy drug prices increased at […]
If you’ve been reading the news lately, you’ve probably heard about specialty drugs. And more often than not, the news coverage is about how much those drugs cost. What’s the big deal about specialty drugs? If you’re not taking one, do you have to care about how much they cost? Unfortunately, yes, you do. We […]
In December 2016, Eli Lilly & Co. announced a discount program effective in 2017 for people who pay largely out-of-pocket for the company’s insulin products. Check with your insurer to see if you qualify for the discount. Why Does Insulin Cost So Much? According to one recent study, the cost of insulin tripled in […]
You’ve probably heard some of the recent conversation about the steep price hikes for the EpiPen, an injection device that delivers epinephrine. Epinephrine is a life-saving hormone given to people suffering severe allergic reactions. Health care experts and news media have tried in recent weeks to explain why the cost of the EpiPen has climbed […]
The Rx Cost Debate With prescription drug spending soaring, many consumers and health care experts are wondering if any relief is in sight for the pain of rising costs. U.S. spending on prescriptions hit $379 billion last year. That was an increase of 13% in one year, which was the sharpest annual increase in at least […]