Clip files / Local news from the states
This column features selected short items about state health care policy.
Children’s insurance copayments revised
CHARLESTON, WV—West Virginia families covered by the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) would no longer have to pay a copayment for generic drugs if a revised payment structure is approved. State officials say eliminating the copayment would give CHIP members an incentive to use generic drugs instead of more expensive brand medications. Currently, some members pay a $5 copayment for a generic drug and $10 for a brand drug, while others are exempt from copayments. Copayments are based on income. Under the proposed changes, all members would pay a $10 copayment for a brand drug and a $15 copayment for a brand drug that is not in CHIP’s formulary. The revised payment structure, along with a new pharmacy benefits manager, is expected to save the program $846,000. "This new copay system is a fiscally prudent move,’’ said Sharon Carte, CHIP executive director. "It will allow us to hold down individual member costs so we can serve more of the working families of West Virginia.’’
—Charleston Gazette, May 16
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