Are All Prescription Drugs Covered Under Health Care Plans?

Knowing the stipulations covered by your health insurance policy is a valid concern. One reason for reading this article may also be because you want to know more about health care plans and details about medical coverage. Most health insurance policies include coverage for prescription drugs which may be why you want to know to what exactly the coverage includes. Do they cover all kinds and types of prescription drugs? The simple answer is no. But the extent of prescription coverage and the types of drugs that are included by a particular health care plan varies. All prescription drugs may not be entirely covered by most health care plans but there is a product being marketed by Medicare that comes close.

Medicare Part D is a health care plan that offers coverage on all or almost all drugs in six categories. These six categories include antidepressants, antipsychotics, anticonvulsants, antiretrovirals (AIDS treatment), immunosuppressants and anticancer. But it does not necessarily mean that they cover all prescription drugs regardless of the category it falls under and the nature of it. The plan was created to specifically provide assistance to families or individuals with low income. There are schemes of this particular product that offer 100% coverage on almost all types of prescription drugs. This is only one example of a policy being marketed today that caters specifically to prescription drugs.

For most health insurance plans that comes with prescription drug coverage, the list of covered drugs varies broadly depending on the plan availed. Some plans cover only prescription drugs administered during hospital confinement. For outpatient prescriptions, the general rule of coverage on prescription drugs followed covers only those for an illness or injury. Sometimes the cost may not be covered completely and may be subject to deductibles. Prescription drugs that are generally not covered by many insurance plans fall under the category of “wellness” drugs which include contraceptive prescription pills and nicotine chewing gums.

Most health insurance policies include a list of prescription drugs that are covered by your plan. You may refer to that list if you are in doubt or if you want to know which drugs are eligible for coverage under your health care plan. If you don’t have the list, just ask your insurance agent or anyone from the insurance company that sold you the product about the specifics of the coverage. On the other hand, if you are still planning to purchase a health care plan, you should ensure that you are familiar with the drugs covered before you purchase the plat or at the very least ensure that you have a list of prescription drugs covered by the plan. Moreover, it is unlikely for health care plans to include coverage for all prescription drugs as the cost of drugs vary greatly depending on the purpose and the condition that it is made to treat. Always approach those who market health care plans as they would know best.