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Prescription Plan Will Reduce Costs

December 2003

The Seafarers Health and Benefits Plan is about to enter into an agreement with Prescription Solutions, a national pharmacy management company, to provide pharmacy benefits to all eligible participants. Under this agreement, the cost of prescribed drugs will be greatly reduced, resulting in a savings to the Plan and to participants. According to Seafarers Plans Administrator Lou Delma, eligible members and dependents participating at Plan Level G will pay only small co-payments for certain prescribed name brand drugs. In addition, maintenance drugs will be available through a mail order arrangement. The program will provide coverage for new as well as refill prescriptions filled at participating retail pharmacies and through the Prescription Solutions Mail Services Pharmacy beginning Jan. 1, 2004. To use the program, members need only present their Prescription Solutions ID cards—which will be provided by the Plan—to any participating pharmacy. Using Participating Pharmacies When filling or refilling prescriptions at participating pharmacies, pharmacy workers will enter members’ ID numbers and other pertinent information into their computer system. This information automatically will be sent to Prescription Solutions, which will verify coverage and instruct the pharmacy to collect applicable co-payments from those having prescriptions filled. No additional claim forms or paperwork will be required. Mail Service Pharmacy For those who elect not to have their prescriptions filled at participating pharmacies in their areas, Prescription Solutions offers the Mail Service Pharmacy. Members’ out-of-pocket costs will be less and/or the supply of medication will be greater if they chose to receive their covered medications through Prescription Solutions’ Mail Service Pharmacy. What’s more, medications—generally up to a 90-day supply with lower co-pay—will be sent directly to participants’ homes. As an added service, pharmacists at the mail service facility will check each medication for possible drug interactions and duplicate therapies just as pharmacists at local pharmacies do. Additional information on using the mail service pharmacy is available by calling Prescription Solutions’ Mail Service Customer Service at 1-800-562-6223. Cost of Medications The cost of prescribed drugs will be greatly reduced under this new program with Prescription Solutions. The end result will be savings to the Plan and to the participants. As of Jan. 1, 2004, the following co-pay rates will apply to all eligible members and dependents when using participating pharmacies: Retail Service — for generic or brand when generic is not available, members will have a $.00 co-payment. For brand when generic is available, the co-payment amount will be $20. Mail Service (minimum 90-day supply) — for generic or brand when generic is not available, members will have a $.00 co-payment. For brand when generic is available, the co-payment amount will be $10. Maintenance drugs (for example, blood pressure or diabetes medications) — the fourth time a prescription is presented at retail pharmacy for a 30-day supply, the following will apply: for generic medications, members will have a $15 co-payment. For brand, the co-payment amount will be $30. Those with questions about this new prescription drug plan, or needing assistance in locating a participating pharmacy, may call Prescription Solutions Customer Service at 1-800-797-9791, Monday through Friday, from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., and from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Pacific Standard Time. About the Company Prescription Solutions is a comprehensive pharmacy and medical management company that provides pharmacy management services to managed care organizations, employer groups, union trust funds, Medicare and Medicaid populations. The company currently serves approximately 5 million members and administers more than 2,100 plan benefit designs. Prescription Solutions manages over 68 million annual prescription claims, 3.3 million annual mail service claims and $2.1 billion in annual prescriptions drug expenditures. The business dispenses prescription drugs to members through a network of more than 55,000 retail pharmacies and through its own state-of-the-art mail service facility.