Ouch! My employees' drug therapy costs how much?

In the United States today, most citizens receive their health care through programs sponsored and financed by their employers rather than through primarily government-based funding. With this in mind, 85% of U.S. employer survey respondents indicated their health care programs are an investment in their employees from which they expect a return. With the many new pharmaceutical therapies that have been developed and marketed in this country that treat small populations suffering from rare or previously untreatable diseases such as multiple sclerosis, inflammatory diseases and treatments for various types of cancer, employers have found themselves in an uncomfortable position. The costs of these pharmaceutical therapies can reach $5,000 per month or more, but the long-term benefits may take decades to assess; even increased survival rates or improvement of symptoms is uncertain in some newer oncology therapies. What steps can employers take to manage the availability of these high-cost therapies so their prescription drug plans continue to provide an acceptable return on investment? Prior authorization, step therapy, wellness programs, case management, drug compliance efforts, drug therapy rationing, transparency and cost-sharing techniques are discussed.