Todd Shamash
At Capital Blue Cross, we are committed to going the extra mile to serve the greater Harrisburg region as well as our customers across the country. And that means more than simply contributing to local organizations or sponsoring events. We strive to listen to concerns and look for solutions, especially when it comes to healthcare.
Take, for instance, one of the most common concerns of healthcare consumers: the ever-rising cost of prescription drugs.
Capital Blue Cross has taken bold steps to help ensure people can afford the medications they need to be healthy and, in some cases, stay alive.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 9 million Americans cite high costs as a reason they fail to take their prescribed medications, even though skipping or delaying doses can worsen health conditions and make them costlier to manage.
Earlier this year, Capital launched a program to help eligible members reduce out-of-pocket costs for expensive specialty drugs they need, like those for rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and Crohn’s Disease.
Within just three months after we started this effort, we had helped participating employer groups that have Capital drug coverage save about $4.5 million and cut eligible individual drug out-of-pocket costs by about $3,000 per person. That averages out to about $1,000 in individual savings every month!
And that’s just one approach Capital has taken to fight rising drug costs.
We also are the first insurer in the nation to work directly with Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drugs—a new company started by billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban to offer some of the most commonly used prescription drugs at the lowest possible price. By allowing our members to use their Capital ID cards at Cost Plus Drugs’ online pharmacy, we’ve helped some people cut their out-of-pocket drug costs by as much as 40%.
We have taken the same aggressive approach to combatting one of the most common and costly diseases: diabetes.
About one-third of Americans will develop diabetes sometime in their lifetime—a chronic disease can cause severe health problems, damage vital organs and shorten life expectancy. The harm diabetes does to America’s collective health is matched by the financial toll it takes. The disease costs the U.S. nearly $330 billion a year.
Capital is the first Pennsylvania health insurer to offer a unique program that works to reverse type 2 diabetes through a well-formulated diet that works to regulate blood sugar in place of costly medications. We also offer a separate program that helps our members reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and helps those with types 1 or 2 manage their disease.
Our efforts to fight the diabetes epidemic are paying off for members and employers:
- Capital members using our diabetes control program collectively lost more than 26,000 pounds last year.
- Capital members using our diabetes reversal program saw their A1c levels drop by more than a full point on average in just the first 90 days. Higher A1c levels are linked to diabetes complications.
- On average, Capital members were able to reduce prescription medications by about 45% in the first 90 days of using the diabetes reversal strategy.
- Combined, our diabetes control programs already have helped Capital customers save nearly $6 million collectively, and an average engaged member can save $1,800 to $2,000 annually.
Using innovative strategies like these to proactively address healthcare challenges is beneficial not just to individuals, but to entire communities. When we help reduce the costs of care and keep people healthy, it gives their families and friends peace of mind, saves money, and contributes to a healthier, more productive community.
That’s what we mean at Capital Blue Cross by going the extra mile—and we’ll keep going every day to ensure the Harrisburg region remains a great place for our members, our dedicated employees and everyone who calls this area home.
Todd Shamash is president and CEO of Capital Blue Cross. For more information, visit www.thinkcapitalbluecross.com.
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