When a doctor writes a prescription, it must specify that the pharmacist fill it with a brand name, or a generic medication may be given. Just last week, the Massachusetts Division of Medical Assistance, announced that Medicaid patients will get only generic medication when a prescription is written for a medication available as a generic. Exceptions will need to be individually requested in advance. The original state law that allows generic substitution if a brand name is not specified, is a consumer-oriented law. This generally means that the consumer, his insurance company, or both, will pay a lower price.
Most insurance now requires a lower co-payment if the medication is generic.
In the case of Medicaid, the consumer does not either pay for the entire cost of the medication or a co-payment. So there is no immediate advantage for the consumer. This will allow re-allocation of these dollars to some other purpose, such as increased coverage. Many of the generic brands are actually made by the maker of the brand name drug. The Food and Drug Administration of the federal government is responsible for monitoring the quality of drugs, including their therapeutic equivalence.