Blue Shield of California, as part of its Health Reimagined initiative, is reshaping how health care is administered and delivered -- and that includes lowering the cost of prescription drugs.
Alison Lum, vice president of Pharmacy Services at Blue Shield, spoke with Health Leaders about Health Reimagined and how tempering drug costs are part of that effort.
How do you lower the cost of insulin? Make it yourself.
In March 2022, Blue Shield joined Civica Rx's effort to manufacture and distribute generic insulin at a well-
Alison Lumbelow-market price of $30. According to a press release, "Blue Shield is a founding investor of CivicaScript … Civica's operating unit dedicated to lowering the cost of select high-cost generic medicines at the pharmacy counter."
In that release, Blue Shield president and CEO Paul Markovich adds that the collaboration "is an investment in public health in our state"—supporting the plan's commitment to systemic transformation through initiatives like Health Reimagined.
Lum tells HealthLeaders that Civica Rx is an example of "a generic manufacturer looking to disrupt the marketplace—trying to figure out how to ensure that there is a price, that it is transparent, and that [plans and patients] know exactly what we're paying for it."
Read the full story in Health Leaders here.