In an effort to promote lower-cost generic prescription drugs, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska has offered to pay the out-of-pocket costs for generic drugs.
Any member with their own prescription drug plan will be eligible for the promotion, reported the Omaha World Herald. For those who already use generic prescription drugs won’t pay any extra for their medications from January 2008 to March 2008. Members who are currently using brand name drugs can switch to generics and pay no extra for those three months, as well.
Many in the health care industry have been pushing different ideas to provide people with the medications they need. Just like Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska, there have been a few different efforts to promote less-expensive generic drugs.
The promotion will help many of the members save a lot of money for their needed medications. According to BCBS of Nebraska, the average cost of a month’s supply of brand name drug is $123 — the average monthly cost for a generic drug is $22.
So why are generic drugs less expensive than brand name drugs?
It’s because drug manufacturers who make generic drugs don’t spend millions of dollars promotions and advertisements. But lower-cost generic drugs have the same active ingredients as brand name drugs — and generics are clinically tested to prove that they’re safe and effective.
You can even save money on over-the-counter drugs. The generic versions of just about any medication, such as headache or allergy pills, will be much less expensive than the brand names.