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Consultant: pharmacy-management changes could cut the city's pharmacy costs substantially
Summary
BKCy told council that changes to pharmacy management and rebates could lower the city's net pharmacy spending to about $290,000 over 12 months, compared with roughly $534,000 under current pricing; council asked for verification and local-provider access details.
During its presentation on the city's employee health plan, BKCy highlighted pharmacy strategy as a key source of savings, citing an estimate that total net pharmacy costs could drop to approximately $290,000 for the next 12 months under a SmithRx approach. BKCy noted prior pharmacy payouts and rebate differentials: "SmithRx anticipates 288,000 in those same rebates," the presenter said while summarizing the pricing analysis. The presenter provided packet figures showing $764,000 in Blue Cross pharmacy payouts in the past 12 months and a SmithRx repricing to $724,000 before rebate adjustments.
Council members pressed the presenter on how savings would be realized and on county-level access to certain services; BKCy described how rebate capture, repricing and active management of high-cost drugs and coupons contribute to savings but did not provide independent verification during the meeting. The council requested staff to finalize the implementation detail and to report back with exact premium impacts and confirmed savings.
