美国国家公共电台 NPR Will Your Prescription Meds Be Covered Next Year? Better Check!

Will Your Prescription¹ Meds Be Covered Next Year? Better Check!

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

If you're regularly taking prescription medication, you might want to check with your insurance company to see if those medications will be covered next year. The two biggest prescription insurers have released their 2017 lists of the drugs they will no longer pay for. Here's NPR's Alison Kodjak.

ALISON KODJAK, BYLINE²: It's an ongoing³ battle between drug companies trying to make as much money as possible and insurers who don't want to pay. Come January, consumers are going to have to figure it out. That's because the companies that pay for the drugs have added to the lists of medications they won't cover next year. Lisa Gill of Consumer Reports says that can surprise some patients.

LISA GILL: We've talked to dozens and dozens of people who find themselves at the pharmacy⁴ counter shocked to find out that the drug is no longer covered.

KODJAK: CVS Caremark and Express Scripts cover more than 150 million people. Together, they've excluded about 200 medications, from diabetes⁵ medications to skin cream, that they say aren't worth the price. The companies say the strategy cuts their drug costs and eventually saves consumers' money by reducing insurance premiums⁶. Jack⁷ Hoadley's a professor at Georgetown University's Institute for Health Policy.

JACK HOADLEY: For the consumer, it's a tradeoff. Am I getting enough of a discount to offset⁸ the inconvenience or the problems I'll face if that particular drug isn't the best drug for me to use?

KODJAK: Some of the medications on the list don't have generic⁹ alternatives which pharmacists can substitute without a doctor's approval. So consumers may have to go back to their doctor to get a prescription for a new medication. Hoadley says the new drug might be cheaper for consumers, but it may not work as well.

HOADLEY: And you end up having to switch to a drug that your prescriber thinks is less optimal¹⁰ for treating your particular health condition.

KODJAK: Consumers can appeal to have their preferred drugs covered, but that's not guaranteed. Alison Kodjak, NPR News.

GREENE: I know after hearing that, you're probably wondering if the drugs you take will no longer be insured. Well, you can find links to the lists on NPR's Shots blog at npr.org.

1 prescription   

n.处方，开药；指示，规定

参考例句：

• The physician made a prescription against sea- sickness for him.医生给他开了个治晕船的药方。
• The drug is available on prescription only.这种药只能凭处方购买。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

4 pharmacy   

n.药房，药剂学，制药业，配药业，一批备用药品

参考例句：

• She works at the pharmacy.她在药房工作。
• Modern pharmacy has solved the problem of sleeplessness.现代制药学已经解决了失眠问题。

5 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。

6 premiums   

n.费用( premium的名词复数 )；保险费；额外费用；（商品定价、贷款利息等以外的）加价

参考例句：

• He paid premiums on his life insurance last year. 他去年付了人寿保险费。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Moves are afoot to increase car insurance premiums. 现正在酝酿提高汽车的保险费。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

8 offset   

n.分支，补偿；v.抵消，补偿

参考例句：

• Their wage increases would be offset by higher prices.他们增加的工资会被物价上涨所抵消。
• He put up his prices to offset the increased cost of materials.他提高了售价以补偿材料成本的增加。

9 generic   

adj.一般的，普通的，共有的

参考例句：

• I usually buy generic clothes instead of name brands.我通常买普通的衣服，不买名牌。
• The generic woman appears to have an extraordinary faculty for swallowing the individual.一般妇女在婚后似乎有特别突出的抑制个性的能力。

10 optimal   

adj.最适宜的；最理想的；最令人满意的

参考例句：

• What is the optimal mix of private and public property rights in natural resources?私人和国家的自然资源产权的最适宜的组合是什么？
• Optimal path planning is a key link for the sailing contest.帆船最优行驶路径规划是帆船比赛取胜的关键环节。