Prescription Drug Costs Remain a Concern

In its to carriers, OPM said that both carriers and employees need to “work together to better understand the responsibility patients bear for following prescription drug regimes and seeking answers to prescription concerns.” That is a reference to the growing cost of prescription drugs in the program, which has been a major driver of the recent increases in FEHB premiums–around 10 percent annually for the last five years. It said that if they haven’t done so already, carriers “should consider mechanisms for containing cost increases such as promoting generic drug programs, use of less costly brand-name drugs, mail-order drug programs, and tiered co-payment systems that promote appropriate prescription drug use.” Carriers also were told that OPM will be scrutinizing their deals with pharmacy benefit managers to assure those arrangements provide maximum savings.