Kaiser Permanente removes HIV/AIDS drugs from highest tier

Effective Jan. 1, 2015, Kaiser Permanente had classified many HIV/AIDS medications as specialty drugs, which required members to pay a 20 percent co-insurance fee each time the prescription was filled. Last week, Kaiser reversed this decision, reported the San Francisco Examiner. Additionally, Kaiser will reimburse members who had overpaid for their drugs. The specialty drugs were removed from the new, specialty tier and placed back into the brand tier. However, insurers around the industry continue to place these medications into the highest tier, forcing members to pay more out-of-pocket costs. Article