Americans are facing increasing economic pressure, and as a result, many have cut back or quit taking their prescriptions. Employed workers with access to health insurance can experience some economic relief through employer paid prescription coverage. In fact, the 2009 Compensation Data Utilities survey results found more than 82 percent of utilities offer prescription drug coverage as part of their PPO, Indemnity, HMO or HDHP medical plan offerings.
“When individuals are not adhering to their prescribed medications, they run the risk of incurring increased medical costs in the future. Large claims drive up the cost of health insurance impacting future costs for employers,” said Amy Kaminski, manager of marketing programs for Compdata Surveys, the nation’s leading compensation and benefits survey data provider. “For many, this practice can be cost-saving in the short term, but detrimental to their health and wallet in the future.”
When comparing prescription costs, non-formulary co-pays have seen little change since 2008. The survey found HDHP plans had the highest co-pay, $49.00, while non-formulary co-pays on PPO plans were $39.00.
While co-pays for non-formulary drugs have risen nationally, formulary drugs have remained stable across all plans in the last year. The average cost of formulary drugs on PPO plans was $25.00. HDHP plans had the highest formulary cost this year, $27.00, and HMO had the lowest, $21.00.
In comparison, co-pays for generic drugs have stayed under $15.00 on all plans in 2009. According to the newly released results, generic co-pays were $10.00 for PPO and HDHP plans. On average, an individual could save over $30.00 per prescription when choosing a generic over a non-formulary drug.
About the Survey
Compensation Data Utilities 2009 contains data on over 100 industry-specific job titles and more than 250 benchmark titles ranging from entry-level to top executives. Data is collected annually from employers across the country. The results provide a comprehensive summary of pay data, benefit information and pay practices with an effective date of February 1, 2009.
Compdata Surveys is the nation’s leading compensation and benefits survey data provider. Thousands of U.S. organizations provide data each year ensuring the reliability of our results. Compdata Surveys has been providing comprehensive data at affordable prices to organizations from coast to coast since 1988. For further information about the compensation and benefits surveys, contact Amy Kaminski at (800) 300-9570.
