Magic: Blue Care Network is dedicated to providing affordable, quality health care for the people of Michigan. As part of our commitment, we're always looking for ways to help you get the prescription drugs you need, while keeping your costs low. This video will help you understand how to fill prescriptions, understand co-pays and coinsurance, learn about drug tiers, prior authorization and step therapies and find out if your prescription drugs are covered.

Tuewanda: To fill your prescriptions, simply go into a participated network pharmacy. Present your Blues ID card [and] you may have the option of receiving up to a 90-day supply, depending on the way your prescription is written.

To find out if you're eligible for a 90-day supply, simply consult with your pharmacist, refer to your member handbook or call our customer service lines.

Tom: The cost associated with your prescription coverage may be either a fixed copay or a coinsurance. A fixed copay is just that it's a fixed amount of the total cost of the drug. A coinsurance is a percentage of the total cost of the drug. So, for example, if the drug total cost were $100, your plan may have a $10 copay. If you had a coinsurance, that coinsurance may be 25% for example, which then your cost would be $25.

Christina: To help reduce your out-of-pocket expenses our dedicated team of board-certified doctors and licensed pharmacists choose medications that are safe and effective, and offer you the best value. These medications are put on our drug lists.

We use lists that group drugs into categories, called tiers. All medications are FDA-approved brand-name and generic drugs. Your out-of-pocket cost is determined by the tier a drug is on. The most cost-effective drugs are in the lower tiers, so the lower the tier, the less you'll pay out-of-pocket.

Richard: Generic drugs are equivalent to brand-name drugs and have the same active ingredients and strengths. Many times, the generic drugs are made by the same company that makes the brand-name drugs and they cost less. Generic drugs have a lower copay, so it saves you money.

Rinell: One of the things that I'm most proud about at the Blues is that we strive to provide our members with low out-of-pocket costs. And doing so, we provide coverage for most generic prescription drugs.

Richard: We review the use of certain drugs to make sure you receive the most appropriate and cost-effective drug therapy. These reviews are called prior authorization and step therapy.

Tom: Prior authorization means that you must meet certain clinical criteria or other information must be provided before we can approve coverage for a drug. For example, we may cover a drug only when it's used for a specific condition.

Christina: Step therapy means that, before we can approve coverage for a drug, you may need to try one or more equally safe and effective preferred drugs first. For example, you may need to try a generic drug first. If that option doesn't work, you may be able to step up to a drug that's on a higher tier.

Narrator: You can find out whether your prescription is covered on

Log in to your account. Once you've signed in, you'll find a comprehensive drug list under the My Coverage tab at the top of the screen. You'll also find answers to commonly asked pharmacy questions in our online Help Center. Remember, you can always call our customer service team, too. The member handbook is another great resource that explains your prescription drug benefit with information on coverage and how to fill prescriptions. As you scroll through the list of commonly prescribed drugs, remember, some prescription drugs may require prior authorization or step therapy.

Magic: If you have additional questions regarding tiers, prioritization, step therapy or your prescription drug coverage, please visit us at or call our customer service team at the number on the back of your ID card and we'll be happy to assist you.