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DC Health Link Launches New Prescription Drug Tool

Thursday, August 18, 2016
Now in Beta testing, new tool available in English and Spanish

Washington, DC – Today, the DC Health Benefit Exchange Authority (HBX) announced the launch of a new prescription drug tool to find coverage and cost-related information in health plans. DC Health Link customers can now easily check whether a prescription medication is covered by a health plan and what the related out of pocket costs are. The prescription drug “look up” feature was added to DC Health Link Plan Match, which was launched last year to help DC Health Link customers estimate annual out of pocket costs and to see plans that covered particular doctors. The new prescription drug look up feature enables customers to compare plans and include their prescription medication in the comparison. 
                                              
With the addition of the new prescription drug tool, DC Health Link customers purchasing private health insurance can easily see which plans cover their prescribed medications. A customer can enter up to ten (10) prescriptions and see a list of health insurance plans covering the medication and how each is covered. The new tool also allows people to see details, including whether a separate drug deductible applies, whether the medication is covered with a copayment or a percentage co-insurance and what the copayment amount and coinsurance percentage is, whether step therapy (trying lower-priced medications before trying higher-priced medications) is required, and whether prior approval from the insurance company is required. 

“DC Health Link is committed to empowering customers with information and decision support tools to make informed decisions and to find the best health coverage to fit their budgets,” said Mila Kofman, Executive Director of the DC Health Benefit Exchange Authority.  “We do not expect any customer to try to read a formulary and coverage documents to figure out how multiple prescriptions or even one is treated under 26 different coverage options. The prescription drug look up tool is essential to help our customers make informed decisions.”

This latest decision support tool for DC Health Link customers is available in English and Spanish in Beta form. Customers who qualify for a special enrollment period can shop now using the new prescription drug look up tool.  Based on customer feedback, DC Health Link will update the tool for open enrollment, which starts November 1, 2016 and ends January 31, 2017. Similar tools will be made available in 2017 for small business customers and their employees.

DC Health Link Plan Match is powered by Consumers' CHECKBOOK, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation award-winning resource and is the latest in new on-line consumer decision support tools added to DCHealthLink.com.

To see the new prescription drug component in DC Health Link Plan Match, click here.