Caremark to settle claims
State to get $1.7 million over prescription drug deception
Seattle Post-Intelligencer, February 15, 2008
Pharmacy benefits manager Caremark has agreed to pay Washington nearly
$1.7 million as part of a $41 million multistate settlement of claims that it encouraged doctors to switch patients' prescriptions while representing that the switch would save patients money. In some cases, the patients or their health plans ended up paying more. And sometimes patients incurred more costs when they switched, because new drug therapies required additional tests or doctor's visits, according to the state's complaint. Caremark got rebates and discounts from drug manufacturers for switching patients to different drugs and didn't clearly disclose how it would affect a patient's cost, the state alleged.
Caremark denied any wrongdoing but agreed to change its business practices.
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As a Caremark user, I am so glad to see this change! Being inundated with "educational flyers" touting another drugs cheper cost/benefit only served to line somone elses pockets and increase overall drug costs without ANY real pt benefit and overburdened doctors. My drug cost never went down unless generic drug chosen.
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