Mother Knows Best

A major carrier (Mother) will require all new self-funded employer customers (Children) to incorporate this feature into their plan designs……………….As children don’t you hate to be told what to do?

Related blog posting: Selecting a Third Party Administrator 

UnitedHealthcare and OptumRx will REQUIRE all new self-funded employer customers to incorporate this feature in their plan designs

UnitedHealthcare and OptumRx are expanding their innovative point-of-sale consumer prescription drug discount program. This first-of-its-kind program will be extended to include all new employer-sponsored plans, making medications more affordable, and improving health outcomes.

UnitedHealthcare and OptumRx will require all new employer clients quoted beginning January 1, 2020 to incorporate point-of-sale discounts to consumers as part of their plan design. Commitments made to support existing clients prior to this date will be grandfathered, including those currently in the sales cycle for January 1, 2020 effective dates.

UnitedHealthcare announced a year ago that it would deliver point-of-sale discounts to all of its fully insured plans effective January 1, 2019. In just two months, the program has already lowered prescription drugs costs for consumers by an average of nearly $130 per eligible prescription.

The existing point-of-sale discount program already serves more than nine million consumers. Expanding such plans to a broader base of clients will help to ensure that patients fully benefit from available discounts on eligible medications.

“Patients are seeing concrete benefits from UnitedHealthcare’s groundbreaking point-of-sale discount program, which is just one element in our aggressive drive to help deliver better health, lower costs and a better experience,” said Daniel J. Schumacher, president and chief operating officer of UnitedHealthcare. “Together with employer partners and OptumRx, UnitedHealthcare has taken innovative action, bringing real value to consumers while mitigating the impact of persistent drug price inflation brought on by drug manufacturers affecting consumers’ ability to afford medications and comply with their physician’s treatment plans.”

For more information, review the attached press release.