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The WEA Trust, along with some private sector partners, has created a statewide organization designed to purchase drugs for Wisconsin's workers and employers. This new organization, called WisconsinRx, will bring the state's businesses together as a group to purchase prescription drugs. WisconsinRx expects to eventually serve up to 1 million members.
Prescription drugs play a big role in soaring health care costs. WisconsinRx will save money for participating members by pooling efforts to take advantage of volume discounts.
"We have successfully used our strength in numbers and purchasing power to drive some great deals from the drug industry. The aggressive prices we were able to get will result in lower prescription drug costs and more affordable prescription drug plans and will save our members and all WisconsinRx groups some serious money," said Al Jacobs (pictured above), executive director of the Trust.
"In addition to negotiating lower drug prices, WisconsinRx will work with physicians and pharmacists throughout Wisconsin to establish a preferred drug list. These physicians and pharmacists, who will remain independent of drug company influence, will evaluate and determine which drugs are the most effective to use to treat diseases and health conditions. WisconsinRx will enable us to get the best drug for the best price," Jacobs said.
Coalition partners joining the Trust include the Employer Health Care Alliance Cooperative (The Alliance) and the Fond du Lac Area Businesses on Health (FABOH). The Alliance is a Madison-based employee-owned health care cooperative. FABOH is an employer-based health care purchasing coalition.
The first step in reform
Last spring, Jacobs introduced The New Wisconsin Idea, a set of four reforms aimed at attacking the state's health care cost crisis. WisconsinRx is the first reform in the package to be implemented.
"This statewide purchasing pool, run by the private sector, gives WisconsinRx extraordinary clout as we deal with rising drug costs," said Sandy Dolister, senior director of employee benefits for Madison Gas & Electric, a member of the coalition. "This makes Wisconsin a national leader in looking for new ideas to control spiraling health care costs."
"Any company is welcome to join – and the more who join us, the stronger we will be," said Jerry Popowski, CEO of FABOH. "Organizations, associations, and local units of government are welcome to join. This is a solution that is not operated or financed by the government. It is a private sector solution that will save businesses in the state, large or small, significant money on their drug plans."
Chris Queram, CEO of The Alliance, added, "We are excited about being a part of this new purchasing cooperative to not only save money for employers, but to provide education on effective drug utilization."
The Trust, The Alliance, and FABOH collaborated for more than a year and a half to tackle the problem of escalating drug costs.
Queram concluded by stating, "WisconsinRx will act as a watchdog so that a decision to place a drug on the preferred list will be based on sound clinical evidence and not how much money a drug company spends to advertise the drug."
Posted September 19, 2003