How the Ancillary Charge for Tier 3 Drugs Works
If you purchase a brand-name Tier 3 drug that has a generic equivalent, you will pay an ancillary charge. Here's how it works:
- You purchase a Tier 3 brand-name drug that that has a generic equivalent.
- UMP pays the same amount we would have paid if you had purchased the generic equivalent.
- You pay the rest.
To find out if you have to pay an ancillary charge, call Washington State Rx Services at 1-888-361-1611.
TIP: What you pay through mail order may be a little more or less than buying at a retail pharmacy, depending on your drug's original cost. Call Washington State Rx Services for a price comparison between mail order and retail, and to find out about less expensive alternative drugs.
Why do I have to pay an ancillary charge?
Generic drugs have the same active ingredients and have been determined by the Food and Drug Administration as being therapeutically identical to their brand-name versions. Choosing generics saves money for you and helps keep premiums low for everyone in the plan. If you choose a brand-name drug when you could have purchased a generic drug, you will pay the difference in cost.
How can I avoid paying the ancillary charge?
Ask your doctor to write the prescription with "substitution permitted." Then, if there is a generic version of the drug, the pharmacist will automatically fill your prescription with the generic. If a generic becomes available in the future, you will get the generic when you refill your prescription.
|
