State seeks to keep prices in check

Repackaged medications' huge markups can inflate workers' comp expense

By Rob Perez

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Feb 17, 2013

~~<p>When the state received a workers' compensation bill for an anti-anxiety drug prescribed to an injured worker, the invoice was flagged because of a hefty price.</p>
<p>Had the diazepam been dispensed by a pharmacy, the tab would've been around $1.41. That was the average national wholesale price for the 30 5-milligram pills, plus a 40 percent markup allowed under state law in workers' compensation cases, according to the state.</p>
~~

When the state received a workers' compensation bill for an anti-anxiety drug prescribed to an injured worker, the invoice was flagged because of a hefty price.

Had the diazepam been dispensed by a pharmacy, the tab would've been around $1.41. That was the average national wholesale price for the 30 5-milligram pills, plus a 40 percent markup allowed under state law in workers' compensation cases, according to the state. Login for more...