November 21, 2019
The 2020 Essentials Drug List (Formulary) includes drugs that are covered under a prescription benefit and features a list of excluded drugs. Every year, we review our formularies to determine changes based on a drug’s effectiveness, safety, and affordability.
As a result, some drugs have been added to the Essentials Drug List Exclusion List starting January 1, 2020. These include:
- High-cost drugs with lower-cost prescription alternatives
- Drugs with lower-cost over-the-counter alternatives
- Brand name drugs with lower-cost competing brand name alternatives
A letter was sent to affected members on November 18 and asked them to contact their provider about alternative treatments. All excluded drugs have a therapeutic alternative. In some cases, an over-the-counter (OTC) drug may be a good choice but not covered by the health plan.