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Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association National Labor Office Selects FutureScripts® as New Strategic Alliance Partner
Pharmacy benefit manager eager to strengthen relationships within the national union workforce
December 9, 2009 — The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association's (BCBSA) National Labor Office (NLO) announced today that it has formed a strategic alliance with FutureScripts, an independent company. The NLO has added FutureScripts to its portfolio of strategic partners in an effort to provide its labor partners with education and information that help their members take advantage of the best healthcare services.
The Blues' network of healthcare providers offers health benefits for more union workers, retirees and their families than any other national insurance carrier. As a new strategic alliance member, FutureScripts will provide specialized expertise on pharmacy benefits to help meet the needs of the union members, retirees and their families.
"We are committed to helping our labor customers discover efficient and effective ways to manage healthcare costs," said Bonnie Summers, executive director of the NLO. "We believe that the integrative pharmacy management approach offered by FutureScripts is an excellent way for union organizations to maximize the best healthcare practices at the best cost for labor membership."
"This partnership with the National Labor Office will give us the opportunity to strengthen our ties and relationships with union leaders across the nation," said Paul Urick, R.Ph., senior vice president for FutureScripts. "We welcome this alliance with open arms because we have built a great track record with several unions within our market and look forward to expanding our presence in this key market segment as we move forward with the FutureScripts business strategy."
FutureScripts is the only pharmacy benefit manager in the alliance. The spot was secured after several presentations that FutureScripts made before this group to demonstrate the pharmacy benefit manager's business value to this group. "Overall, we expect this role to allow FutureScripts to better help unions find the right fit in benefit solutions for their members, and increase relationship-building with key contacts at national health plans," Urick added.
As a strategic ally in the BCBSA NLO, FutureScripts will meet regularly with heads of unions to focus on the benefits and needs of union members and their families. Influential in making health care coverage decisions for unions, the NLO works closely with the AFL-CIO and the Change to Win Coalition, which collectively represent more than 12 million American workers.
An example of union relationships expanded to result in additional business for FutureScripts was with the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) plan. FutureScripts earned new member contracts when our work with UFCW Local 1776 was extended to UFCW Local 1776 Northeast Pennsylvania in March of this year, where FutureScripts now has more than 1,000 new members, most of whom are employed by Wise Snacks in Pittston, Pennsylvania.
The NLO, based in BCBSA's Washington, D.C. office, is an alliance of 28 Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans that work together to maintain organized labor as an important business partner. One-fifth of Blue Plans' overall enrollment nationwide is made up of collectively bargained contracts.
FutureScripts, an independent pharmacy benefits management company, headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, helps employers and health plans manage rising prescription drug costs without sacrificing quality coverage. FutureScripts has built a comprehensive national pharmacy network of more than 60,000 retail pharmacies, including independent pharmacies as well as all of the major pharmacy retail chains. FutureScripts has developed management tools to ensure access to appropriate prescription drugs, while developing programs and services designed to help members save time and money. For more information, call FutureScripts corporate headquarters at 1-888-678-7012.
The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association is a national federation of 39 independent, community-based and locally operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies that collectively provide healthcare coverage for more than 100 million members — one-in-three of all Americans. For more information on the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association and its member companies, please visit www.BCBS.com.