{"id":135159,"date":"2024-09-17T00:29:16","date_gmt":"2024-09-17T04:29:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=135159"},"modified":"2024-09-17T00:43:05","modified_gmt":"2024-09-17T04:43:05","slug":"think-cutting-costs-not-care-the-financial-benefits-of-medical-pharmacy-integration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=135159","title":{"rendered":"THINK: Cutting Costs, Not Care: The Financial Benefits of Medical-Pharmacy Integration"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Capital Blue Cross \u2013 \u00a0<\/strong>THINK<\/em><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0(Trusted Health Information, News, and Knowledge) is a community publication of Capital Blue Cross. Our mission is to provide education, resources, and news on the latest health and insurance issues.<\/strong><\/p>\n

While employers have little control over the rising costs of medications, they can adopt cost-effective strategies to help ensure their employees are getting the right medications at a more affordable cost and get the support they need to best manage chronic health conditions.<\/p>\n

When it comes to containing healthcare costs, employers face a number of challenges \u2013 and prescription drug management is at the root of several of them.<\/p>\n

For starters, nearly\u00a0half of Americans routinely take<\/a>\u00a0a prescription medication and a quarter of Americans are on three or more prescribed drugs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). While these medications are beneficial for health, they take a financial toll on employees and employers alike: Nationwide spending on retail prescription drugs has steadily increased for decades,\u00a0reaching $406 billion in 2022<\/a>, according to the CDC.<\/p>\n

Ironically, when people don\u2019t take their medications, the cost impact can be nearly as burdensome, causing the need for more, often unavoidable care \u2013\u00a0up to $300 billion worth<\/a>, according to the American College of Preventive Medicine.<\/p>\n

While employers have little control over the rising costs of medications, they can adopt cost-effective strategies to help ensure their employees are getting the right medications at a more affordable cost and get the support they need to best manage chronic health conditions.<\/p>\n

Your health insurer might be able to help<\/strong><\/p>\n

Capital Blue Cross is helping its employer groups collectively save millions of dollars annually with a simple solution: integrate prescription drug coverage and medical coverage into the same plan. The results? Having medical and drug coverage in one plan provides clear, actionable data employers can use to help keep their employees healthy, save money, and provide a more efficient experience.<\/p>\n

Capital\u2019s integration strategies have:<\/p>\n