From AFT:
“Nearly 14,000 community
pharmacies leaving Tricare network next month”
Many military families who use
independent or community pharmacies soon will have to find an alternative
source for their prescription medication needs. Approximately 15,000 community
pharmacies will leave the Tricare retail pharmacy network on Oct. 24. Nearly
400,000 beneficiaries, or roughly 4% of the Tricare-eligible population, will
be affected by the change. In 2021, there were more than 56,000 pharmacy
locations in the TRICARE retail pharmacy network, including national chains,
grocery chains and independent pharmacies. Impacted beneficiaries will receive
a letter from Express Scripts with a list of alternative in-network pharmacies.
Walgreens and CVS remain in-network, as do many grocery store pharmacies and
smaller chains. Network pharmacies also can be found using this online search
tool. After Oct. 24, beneficiaries who continue to fill prescriptions at
departing community pharmacies will pay the full retail price for the
medication.
To transfer a prescription,
beneficiaries can: Take their prescription bottles to another participating
pharmacy in the network. The pharmacist there will contact the previous
pharmacy and transfer the prescription. Call the new pharmacy and ask
the pharmacist to obtain the prescription information from the old pharmacy.
Ask their doctor to send the prescription information to the new pharmacy.
Visit the Express Scripts website to switch eligible medications to home
delivery.
Even with the departure of
community pharmacies, Express Scripts reports the Tricare retail network will
continue to meet or exceed Tricare’s pharmacy access standard of at least one
pharmacy within a 15-minute drive of 90% of beneficiaries.
^ This is a shame. I have used
Tricare and their Prescription Mailing Service and it is bad. Now thousands
upon thousands of Veterans and their Families will be forced to use them –
especially if they don’t have another In-Network Pharmacy near them. ^
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