
Altria RX Coverage

We the undersigned, being the people who spent their working lifetime building Altria and Philip Morris into the successful business it is today, submit to Martin J.Barrington, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, and to the Board of Directors the following:
- that the health insurance coverage for prescription drugs and the denials of coverage for prescribed medicines is affecting treatment for diagnosed diseases and illnesses
- that these denials by Cigna, the managing company for Altria , which is self insured, is forcing retirees and employees to go through multiple appeal processes in order to obtain life sustaining medications that without insurance as previously offered by Altria, are cost prohibitive
- that retirees and employees with on going life affecting health issues including but not limited to Parkinson’s disease, coronary disease, multiple sclerosis, macular degeneration, cancer, and stroke victims are being discriminated against by the formulary that refuses to cover vital drugs as prescribed by medical doctors
- that denial of prescribed drugs for coverage under the prescription drug plan for 2018 can result in the inability of retirees to obtain these drugs therefore shortening their lives and or becoming unable to live outside of a medical facility
- that the appeal process through Cigna is cumbersome and lengthy thus having serious impact on a covered participant’s health and well-being
- that life saving medications as prescribed by specialists and any medical doctor, who by having a relationship with his or her patient knows them and monitors their health, are being denied two and three times making the review process costly, ineffective and threatening
- that Human Resources of Altria has negotiated a formulary with Cigna that forces covered participants to use alternative medication which is not in the dosage or formula their doctor understands and prescribed thus forcing the covered patient to risk health and wellness by using an alternative medication.
- that Altria and Cigna have negotiated a management arrangement that demonstrates a cost savings to the company at the expense of those who dedicated lives and careers to build it.
We request procedural changes and formulary changes and an expedient and fair review process.
Comment