Blue Cross ends coverage of EpiPen, Adrenaclick in Alabama
Alabama's largest insurance provider will no longer cover two of the most popular injectors used to treat severe allergic reactions, citing costs that have skyrocketed during the last several years.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama, which covers a large majority of privately-insured Alabamians, will stop covering EpiPen, EpiPen Jr. and Adrenaclick auto-injectors on July 1. The company will cover a generic injector manufactured by Mylan, the same company that makes the EpiPen.
Mylan's generic epinephrine auto-injector costs about $300 for a pack of two, less than half the cost of the EpiPen. Adrenaclick injectors cost about $500 for two, but a generic version can be had for $110 at CVS, which was recently dropped from the insurer's preferred pharmacy network. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama will not cover the generic version of Adrenaclick.
Mylan has come under fire in recent years for hiking the price of the EpiPen, the most popular injector for allergy patients. The company acquired the product from Merck in 2007 and increased the price by 600 percent, according to Consumer Reports. Attorneys general in 20 states have accused the company and others of artificially inflating the prices of generic drugs.
Read more: http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2017/04/blue_cross_ends_coverage_of_ep.html
