4 Tier Prescription Plan – An Affordable Option That Saves You Money And Puts You In Control Of Your Prescription Costs By Petrea Dishman At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

The cost of Prescription drugs are increasing dramatically and unfortunately more and more of the expense is coming out of the consumer's pocket. As only about 60% of employers help to cover health insurance and prescription costs for their employees, this places more of a burden on the consumer. A 4-Tier Prescription plan is an option that saves you money on your prescriptions and makes prescription coverage more affordable for you.

What is a 4 Tier Plan?

With a 4 Tier plan, prescription medications are divided into co-payment categories that are called Tiers. A consumer's co-payment is normally the least for generic or brand name medications that are on the Preferred Brand Drug List. Example of Tier Pricing: Drugs in the 1st Tier are priced less than $10, prescriptions in the 2nd Tier are less than $20, drugs that fall in the 3rd Tier are less than $50 and drugs that are in the 4th Tier are at special negotiated discount prices. Consumers can normally fill prescriptions at most pharmacies and there are no deductibles that have to be met, no age requirements, no claims forms and no waiting periods. Consumers simply present their prescription card to the pharmacist to receive the discounted Tier pricing.

Are Generic Medications a Good Alternative?

A drugs brand name, is the trade name under which the product is marketed and sold, and is protected by patents so that it can only be produced by one manufacturer for a certain number of years. Generics are basically a chemical copy of the brand name drug. The drug may look different such as a different color or shape, but the active ingredients must be the same for both. Using Generic drugs does not compromise the quality of your health care and they are lower-cost alternatives to brand name drugs. The preferred drug list contains only FDA-approved generic medications. Brand name drugs are also included on the Preferred Brand drug list.

How can a 4 Tier Prescription Plan be beneficial for you?

A 4 Tier prescription plan is designed to provide you and your physician with a high quality benefit. One that helps manage costs while still offering enormous choice. When you visit your physician, take your prescribing guide with you and have your doctor choose a preferred drug that is in the same therapeutic class in place of an expensive brand name medication that is right for you. This can significantly lower your prescriptions costs and allow you to keep more of your hard earned money in your pocket.

Today's consumer must take a more active roll in his or her own healthcare and the associated costs. A 4 Tier Prescription plan provides a prescribing guide with the preferred drugs available in each Tier. This allows you, along with your physician, to choose a drug from the same therapeutic class that is right for you and that can save you a substantial amount of money and put you in more control of your out of pocket prescription expenses. 4 Tier Prescription plans are available to both individuals and employer groups.

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