be RxSmart. it's your choice.

When it comes to prescription drugs, you have a choice.

Everyone knows that prescription drugs can be expensive, but not everyone realizes the broad range of medication choices and costs.

As part of our commitment to a healthier Mississippi, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi wants to help you take a more active role in your healthcare. We're providing the information you need so you and your provider can make the best choices about cost-effective prescription drug alternatives that meet your needs.

Most Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi members have a drug benefit that includes 4 categories of medications with different copays or coinsurance amounts.

Prescription drug choices are available for all common conditions. By learning about your drug choices and discussing them with your provider, you can get the greatest value from your prescription drug benefit.

For some medical conditions, there are lifestyle changes that can reduce or eliminate your need for prescription medication. Be sure to ask your healthcare provider if there are lifestyle changes you can make -- such as changes to your diet or starting an exercise program -- that can improve your health and reduce your use of medications.

When prescription medication is needed, use this online tool to find which medication is the most cost-effective for you. Category 1 medicines are the least costly. These include many generic drugs. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration ensures that generic drugs are identical to brand-name drugs in safety and medical effectiveness. Using generic drugs is an easy choice and a choice that saves you money.

Benefits for covered prescription drugs may be limited to one prescription drug per therapeutic class within a 30-day supply. For example, if you are prescribed two Proton Pump Inhibitor medications, only one prescription drug will be a covered benefit within 30 days.

The be RxSmart. it's your choice. ^_sm page is a good place to learn more about these benefits.

The Category 1-4 link here and on the left menu will show you the most up-to-date listings of which prescription drugs are in each category. Category 1, 2, and 3 are the more frequently used medications. Category 4 includes some generic and brand name drugs, and high cost drugs. If your Category 4 prescription drug cost is 20% up to $100, some drugs reside in different categories than drugs on the standard 4-Category design. Click here to see the differences.

Some self-funded plan members have a three-level benefit with generic, preferred brands and non-preferred brands. If your benefits include this, the Preferred Drug Search will show you the most current listing of medications in each category.

We want to keep you up-to-date on changes that affect medication categories. To view the most recent changes to the 4-category prescription drug benefit plan, click here. To view the most recent changes to the preferred / non-preferred prescription drug benefit plan, click here.

Some drugs require prior authorization to determine if they are covered in your benefit design or to ensure appropriate use.

Where appropriate, quantity limits will apply to some medication purchases.

Here is an example of how lifestyle tips can help people avoid the use of medication:

Lifestyle Tips for Acid Reflux (GERD)

Questions?
If you have questions and need to speak with our Prescription Drug Service Center, please call: 800-551-5258 or 601-664-4998.