Folwell moves to save state health plan customers on out-of-pocket drug costs
Treasurer Dale Folwell always seems to be making moves that save money and make processes smoother. WHY can’t his fellow Republicans on Jones St. follow his lead? All of these (R)s claim they are conservative. Folwell is the only one walking the walk AND talking the talk:
State Treasurer Dale R. Folwell, CPA, and the State Health Plan (Plan) announced today that the State Health Plan Board of Trustees approved the contract award for Pharmacy Benefit Management (PBM) services. The estimated savings for the Plan under this new contract, as compared to the projected current contract, are $701.1 million.
After a competitive and transparent bid process, the contract was awarded to Caremark PCS Health, L.L.C. The intent of the Request for Purchase (RFP) was to secure a pharmacy benefit manager to provide superior services and support that will assist with meeting the State Health Plan’s strategic goals for improving members’ health, members’ experience and ensuring financial stability.
Caremark PCS Health, L.L.C. is the SHP’s current PBM. In that role it manages prescription drug benefits on behalf of the Plan, developing lists of covered medications and using its purchasing power to negotiate with drug manufacturers to obtain rebates and discounts that help control out-of-pocket spending and rising costs of pharmaceuticals.
“We are pleased to be able to offer continuity in our PBM services, avoiding member disruption as well as saving Plan members and taxpayers like them over $700 million,” Treasurer Folwell said. “All of the competitive bidders made excellent, cost-saving proposals but in the end the board selected the Caremark PCS Health proposal.”
The RFP was issued on May 21, 2021, and technical proposals were received on Aug. 10, 2021. Proposals were received from the following:
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina with Prime Therapeutics
- Caremark PCS Health, LLC (CVS)
- Express Scripts, Inc.
- OptumRx, Inc.
The contract with CVS Caremark will be effective upon award with services beginning Jan. 1, 2023. The contract will expire Dec. 31, 2025, with the option to renew for two, one-year terms. The total cost of the contract including member copays over the three-year term is $3.394 billion.[…]
Would Folwell know anything about Bev Purdue’s lobbyist Pryor Gibson, the Bald Head Ferry Issue and a bill Gibson ran for the owners of a large chunk of the island? Would he and Beth Wood k ow anything about the true authors of the bill that set up the entity designed to buy the Ferries? Would Mike Easley or Garrett Perdue have any interest in how this turns out?