that found atorvastatin was prescribed the most, followed by simvastatin.<\/span><\/p>\nLast but not least, according to Dr. Ni, the fact that other statins are available\u2014and are sometimes cheaper\u2014affects atorvastatin\u2019s tier status. <\/span>Simvastatin<\/span> is one of those medications, while <\/span>rosuvastatin<\/span> is not.<\/span><\/p>\nAre cholesterol medications covered by insurance?<\/span><\/h2>\nAgain, coverage isn\u2019t a one-size-fits-all answer\u2014at least to some degree. \u201cCoverage for these various statins depends on insurance to insurance,\u201d Dr. Ni says, \u201cbut usually, insurance plans will prefer other statins besides rosuvastatin, atorvastatin, and pitavastatin.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nAs mentioned earlier, insurance plans also look at the AWP, which explains why some other <\/span>high cholesterol<\/span> medications are on higher tiers. \u201cInjectable PC5K9 inhibitors, such as evolocumab (Repatha) and alirocumab (Praluent), are typically on tiers 3 or 4, requiring prior authorization in most cases due to approximate AWPs of $1400 monthly,\u201d Dr. Pacanowski says. \u201cIf the details of the patient\u2019s case meet the defined exceptions, the insurance plan will cover the medication, usually at the highest copay allowed by the plan.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nExamples of cholesterol medications include lovastatin, pravastatin, fenofibrate, and gemfibrozil.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nCombination drugs usually have higher AWPs and therefore are on higher tiers, too, he adds, giving the example of Vytorin, which combines ezetimibe and simvastatin.<\/span><\/p>\nMost insurance companies will use the same methods to classify <\/span>blood pressure medications<\/span>, Dr. Pacanowski says. The main difference is that blood pressure medications can fall into different drug classes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cThe drugs inside these classes may \u2018compete with each other\u2019 for tier status, but there is very rarely \u2018competition\u2019 between classes,\u201d Dr. Pacanowski explains. \u201cBeta blockers are compared to other beta blockers, diuretics to other diuretics, ACE inhibitors to other ACE inhibitors, etc.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nSome examples of blood pressure medications\u2014like calcium channel blockers, beta blockers, ACE inhibitors, and diuretics\u2014include hydrochlorothiazide, valsartan, furosemide, metoprolol succinate, metoprolol tartrate, propranolol HCl, losartan potassium, and ramipril.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThe good news is that the medications are often cheap or even free. \u201cI generally find most patients to be paying very little for their blood pressure and statin medications,\u201d Dr. Ni says. \u201cIn fact, depending on the insurance plan or prescription drug plan, patients will pay zero dollars for their medications, including atorvastatin.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nAccording to Dr. Pacanowski, atorvastatin can be free for many reasons: the copay for generic drugs, or tier-1 medications, is $0, the patient reached their plan deductible, the patient reached their out-of-pocket maximum, or \u201cpreventative medications\u201d are free with the patient\u2019s plan.<\/span><\/p>\nWithout insurance<\/span>, the out-of-pocket cost for atorvastatin is around $1,500 per year. However, people can buy it at a cheaper cost using a <\/span>prescription discount card<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\nNavigating your insurance drug list<\/span><\/h2>\nThankfully, finding the drug coverage details for various medications is pretty easy. Here are the steps:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\nGo to a search engine (like Google), type in the name of your insurance company, and then type in \u201cformulary\u201d and the year.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\nThe right link will likely be one of the first. Click it.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\nTo find atorvastatin on the list, simultaneously press \u201cControl\u201d and \u201cf\u201d on your keyboard if you have a PC, or \u201cCommand\u201d and \u201cf\u201d if you have a Mac, and type in \u201catorvastatin.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\nFrom there, you should be able to find atorvastatin listed, or not listed, as well as its tier status. The latter is usually to the right of the name.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\nPeople can also call the customer service number on the back of the ID card, Dr. Pacanowski says, or go to the insurance website, look for their \u201cpreferred drug list,\u201d and scroll to \u201ccholesterol medications\u201d or \u201ccholesterol-lowering agents.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nWhen looking at various medications covered by insurance, it\u2019s important to consider that some forms of the same medication will be cheaper than others. \u201cAll insurance companies will have a list of tier pricing for their medications,\u201d Dr. Ni says. \u201cGeneric medications in general are going to be cheaper than branded medications, although sometimes the discount is not very much.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n \n \n
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