Alaska AK Health Insurance Plan

Reader’s Question:

How should go about buying prescription drugs here in Alaska if I want to avail of my health insurance plan’s prescription drugs benefits?

Rick

Anchorage, Alaska AK

 

How are you, Rick!

Most health insurance companies in Alaska would control costs for prescription drug benefits through a formulary. My suggestion is for you to buy drugs from the formulary provided by your health insurer because they are usually less expensive. You will be paying a lower co-pay for drugs on this formulary.

So what if you want to use a drug which is not on the preferred list? All you have to do is to bring the insurer’s formulary to your doctor’s office to see if there is any way you can substitute the drug with a cheaper but medically-equivalent drug on your health insurance company’s formulary. Be aware though that formularies are subject to change. Most insurers regularly add a new drug or stop covering a drug at any time. You don’t have to worry about quality of generic drugs. These are exactly the same chemical properties of the branded ones whose patents have already expired. Most health insurance plans will automatically fill the prescription with a generic unless your doctor specifies the brand name.
There’s another way you can save on medications. I know of some plans which charge you less if you use a pharmacy that’s within their pharmacy network. If that is the case, you can simply ask if your pharmacy is in the network before you fill the prescription. This will save you from paying double for the same drug.