UnitedHealthcare has launched an innovative program that offers $20 discounts off certain prescription drug copayments for plan participants who refill their medications on a timely basis.
The Refill and Save Program, which includes asthma drugs Advair and Symbicort and antidepressants Cymbalta, Effexor XR, and Pristiq, reduces a customer’s copayment for refills of these drugs by $20—a 40% savings on a typical copayment plan.
Health plan participants who refill their prescriptions via mail will receive a $50 discount on a 90-day supply of medicine, with a refill deadline of approximately 120 days. Initial prescriptions of the medicines will not be eligible for the discounted copay as the program is focused on encouraging timely refills. The Refill and Save Program is available to most of UnitedHealthcare’s fully insured commercial health plan participants and is the first of its kind.
UnitedHealthcare estimates that approximately 50% of its customers who take asthma medicines and 20% of its customers who take antidepressants are not compliant with their prescriptions.