Selling Tobacco Can Get You Penalized By Insurance Panels
By Lance O. Leider, J.D., The Health Law Firm
Beware: selling cigarettes could burn a hole in your pocket.
The CVS Health Corporation (CVS), the nation’s second-largest drug store, is currently in the midst of launching a tobacco-free prescription-drug network. The company announced in October 2014, that it will begin offering a tobacco-free pharmacy plan to employers, unions, and insurance companies for which its Caremark arm manages prescription benefits. CVS is slapping patients with an extra co-payment “penalty” if they purchase their medications from pharmacies that sell tobacco products, regardless of whether the patient is a tobacco user.
According to US News, by adding a variable co-payment of up to $15, CVS hopes that this new strategy, comparable to a narrow network insurance design, will perpetuate the company’s health-and-wellness based initiatives.
The new network will start in 2015. Customers […]