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June 2018

Zegerid® to be excluded from Blue Cross and BCN non-Medicare, commercial plans, starting July 1

To address the high cost of drugs and provide the best value for our members, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network non-Medicare, commercial plans will no longer cover brand-name or generic Zegerid, or omeprazole/sodium bicarbonate. This change will be effective July 1, 2018, and it applies to all HMO and PPO pharmacy drug lists and all strengths and formulations of Zegerid.

Zegerid OTC is available over the counter at a fraction of the cost of prescription Zegerid. The following over-the-counter alternatives are available without a prescription:

  • Esomeprazole (Nexium® 24HR)
  • Lansoprazole (Prevacid® 24HR)
  • Omeprazole (Prilosec OTC®)
  • Omeprazole/sodium bicarbonate (Zegerid OTC®)

We’ll notify affected members of these changes and encourage them talk to their doctor about the available over-the-counter alternatives.

As part of this ongoing initiative, Blue Cross and BCN will continue to identify and cease coverage of select drugs when more cost-effective or over-the-counter alternatives available for our commercial members.

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*CPT codes, descriptions and two-digit numeric modifiers only are copyright 2017 American Medical Association. All rights reserved.
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