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Benefits update: county pharmacy ramps up, prescription rebates rising, claims timing caused temporary medical spike
Summary
Benefits staff told the board that July–August claims showed a temporary jump in medical spending due to claim timing; prescription claims are down, rebates are increasing, and the county pharmacy is filling about 1,600 scripts per month.
At a special BET meeting, staff updated the board on employee benefits claim activity and the county-operated pharmacy.
The presenter said the board’s two-month snapshot (July–August) shows a large jump in medical claims because the county’s claim payments are running ahead of last year’s timing (this fiscal year’s data captured about 10 weeks of medical claims versus six weeks in the prior-year comparison). Staff noted the county pays roughly 52 weeks of medical claims per fiscal year and expects the timing difference to normalize.
Prescription claims were reported as trending down (eight weeks versus nine weeks in the prior-year comparison). Overall the combined medical and prescription position was about 3% over the plan target but still under budget for the fiscal year.
County pharmacy: benefits staff said the county pharmacy has been “doing really good” and is ramping up operations. “We’re running about 1,600 scripts a month,” a presenter said, and staff are doing targeted mailings to members who have not yet used the service. The pharmacy is applying to McKesson’s governmental division for pricing/rebate programs that require six months in business and a minimum volume; staff said the application process is underway and that rebates are increasing compared with previous years.
Board action: the board received the update (motion to receive carried). Staff did not request policy changes in the meeting but were directed to continue monitoring claim trends and rebate developments.
Ending: board members praised the county pharmacy’s service and asked to see follow-up rebate and utilization data as part of the supplemental budget work ahead.
