Focused on small businesses with 20 to 300 employees
Wrong – drug prices affect our health insurance premiums as they continue to rise in price. The cost of insurance outside the ACA/Obamacare plans is directly based on the underwriters expected claims for the company.
Think of it like this – take the cost of a medication, divide it by the number of employees taking the insurance and then by 12 months. That is the base cost a medication adds to your health insurance premium.
Example: Humira, a drug we often see advertised on TV to treat Psoriatic arthritis, ulcerative colitis and plaque psoriasis has an average annual cost according to GoodRx, of $60,000.
If Humira is not offered in your company’s formulary (the medications that will be covered by your insurance policy), Abbvie, the manufacturer of Humira offers to help. From the Humira website:
If you are having difficulty paying for your medicine, AbbVie may be able to help. Visit AbbVie.com/myAbbVieAssist to learn more.
Example: Latuda, a medication used for mental and nervous conditions. The monthly cost, $1,220. However, if we go to the international market, to one of the 4 English-speaking countries requiring Tier 1 efficacy, the cost is only $248.34 a month. A savings of $11,652 a year.
One more: Premarin, used to treat hot flashes. The monthly cost is only $160. However, the monthly cost on the international market is $35, a savings of $125 per month or $1,500 a year.
If your health insurance premium is driven by the cost of the healthcare delivered to your employees, managing the cost becomes a big factor in maintaining affordable benefits.
A NextGen agent works with their clients and the employees to educate them on the options available and then creates and structures a benefit package around these options which financially benefits both the employees and employer.