On December 16, 2021, the Partnership to Advance Cardiovascular Health (PACH) sent a letter urging CVS Caremark to reverse its decision to limit coverage of certain anticoagulant medications. CVS Caremark recently sent a letter to patients informing them that as of January 1, 2022, it would only cover one direct oral anticoagulant from its commercial pharmacy benefit plan – a dangerous precedent for a high-risk patient population. By limiting coverage to only one form of anticoagulant, CVS Caremark’s policy will likely force some stable patients to switch for financial rather than medical reasons, a practice known as non-medical switching. Non-medical switching is particularly dangerous for cardiovascular patients as it may decrease medication adherence and increase negative health outcomes for patients. For example, one study found that when cardiovascular patients switched medications 40% of patients surveyed stopped taking their medication altogether. The study also found that nearly 60% of patients noted re-emergence of previously controlled symptoms. PACH’s letter can be found here.
Sign the petition and encourage CVS Caremark to reverse this risky policy.
Last Updated on December 29, 2021 by Aimed Alliance
