The pandemic had a dramatic impact on the American workforce with millions of workers becoming remote employees overnight and an all-time high of 81.5 million people leaving their jobs, either through layoffs or furloughs or out of necessity to care for a loved one.[1] Now that things are returning to “normal,” there is another shift with half of workers reevaluating their career goals, according to Prudential’s “Pulse of the American Worker Survey.”[2]
When making employment decisions, 54% of those surveyed by Prudential ranked comprehensive benefits as very important, but with ever-escalating drug costs, improving healthcare benefits can be a major—and expensive—challenge. Even companies that offer robust benefits have to make difficult decisions about what drugs to cover in their prescription benefits. Often this means excluding what’s known as lifestyle medications. These are drugs that may not be deemed medically necessary, such as acne medications, weight loss drugs and smoking cessation products. However, at Elixir, we understand that they can contribute to a person’s whole-being health and improve their quality of life.
Sample Lifestyle Medications
| Drug Category | Drug Class |
| Acne Medications | Retin-A®, Tretin-X®, tretinoin, tetracycline, isotrentinoin |
| Cosmetic Drugs | Latisse®, Propecia, Renova®, finasteride, hydroquinone, minoxidil |
| Impotency Drugs | Cialis®, Levitra®, Viagra®, sildenafil, tadalafil |
| Nutrients & Dietary Supplements | Deplin®, Foltanx®, Metanx®, Cerefolin® |
| Weight Loss Drugs | Belviq®, Contrave®, Qsyma®, phentermine |
| Smoking Cessation | Nicotrol, Zyban, OTC Nicotine Products |
| Nasal Steroids | Nasacort®, Nasonex®, QNASL®, fluticasone, flunisolide |
| Proton-Pump Inhibitors (PPIs) | Dexilant®, Nexium®, Prilosec®, omeprazole |
The Elixir Personal Savings Program (PSP) allows you to give your employees and their dependents an added prescription benefit at no cost to the plan. With PSP, your members can receive an immediate discount on many of the most frequently prescribed lifestyle medications as part of your existing prescription plan. One Elixir client has had 580 members utilize the PSP program to date in 2021, with a savings of almost $204,000 or 83%.
The PSP can provide significant savings for your members, allowing them to take medications that are important to their overall wellbeing. Offering this added benefit could be the difference to help you retain or recruit high-quality employees in a time of major change when the little things matter. And it doesn’t cost your plan a dime.
[1] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2021). As the COVID-19 pandemic affects the nation, hires and turnover reach record highs in 2020. June 2021. https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2021/article/as-the-covid-19-pandemic-affects-the-nation-hires-and-turnover-reach-record-highs-in-2020.htm.
[2] Prudential (2021). Pulse of the American Worker Survey: Post-Pandemic Work & Life. https://news.prudential.com/presskits/pulse-american-worker-survey-post-pandemic-work-life.htm.
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