Mountain State Blue Cross Blue Shield
Drug Program Saves Seniors $2.6 Million

July 17, 2001 - (Parkersburg, WV) - A Mountain State Blue Cross Blue Shield Prescription Drug Savings Program launched in August 1999 has saved customers over $2.6 million in prescription drug costs over the last 18 months. The program is free, and the senior citizens instantly receive their discount savings when obtaining their prescriptions.

The program enables seniors who purchase their Medicare Supplemental coverage from Mountain State to fill prescriptions at a lower price. Seniors simply present their Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare Supplemental card at pharmacies participating in the program to obtain cost savings on prescription drugs. The savings are instant and there are no claim forms or other paperwork to complete.

Although the program does not provide benefits for prescription drugs, it was established through a partnership with ClaimsPro, Mountain State Blue Cross Blue Shield's prescription benefits administrator. Through ClaimsPro, 40,000 pharmacies nationwide participate in the program and provide the discounts. In the past 18 months, over 231,000 prescriptions were purchased with an average savings of 28 percent or about $11 on each prescription. With this program, Mountain State Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare Supplemental customers saved an average of $208 during this period. Actual savings varied depending on whether the physician prescribed a specific brand drug or a generic equivalent drug.

"We are very pleased with the results that have been experienced," said Gregory K. Smith, Mountain State Blue Cross Blue Shield President and CEO. "With the escalating cost of prescription drugs we are delighted to provide a free benefit that allows savings to be passed directly to our customers. We are also pleased with the willingness and responsiveness of ClaimsPro to assist Mountain State in providing prescription benefit program discounts to our senior customers who do not have drug benefits."

Just as President George W. Bush outlined a discount drug benefit plan in his vision for the future of Medicare, Mountain State Blue Cross Blue Shield is pleased to have a program for accomplishing this in operation. "Too many of West Virginia's older citizens cannot afford prescription drugs that may extend or improve the quality of their lives, and we applaud the Bush Administration's intent on helping seniors by expanding access to discounted drugs as an immediate, interim step to Medicare reform," Smith added.

Mountain State Blue Cross Blue Shield is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. Mountain State is the largest private health care benefits provider in West Virginia with over 700 employees in Parkersburg, Charleston, Wheeling, Martinsburg and Weirton. Mountain State provides or administers coverage to more than 250,000 West Virginians.