This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walgreens. All opinions are 100% mine.
Starting January 1, 2012 Walgreens no longer accepts Express Scripts Inc, I know this because we use Express Scripts Inc and my January refill ended up costing me full price. This decision has upset thousands, including me.
Walgreens and Express Scripts
For the past year, Walgreens has negotiated with Express Scripts for a new contract to continue as part of its pharmacy provider network. Those negotiations were unsuccessful, and the contract expired on Dec. 31. As a result, Walgreens is no longer part of Express Scripts’ pharmacy provider network as of Jan. 1, 2012. This includes all Walgreens pharmacies nationwide and Duane Reade pharmacies in the New York City area.
This situation of forcing pharmacy patients to go elsewhere to use their in-network pharmacy benefits was unnecessary. Express Scripts’ actions are causing disruption with no significant benefit to patients or their health plan. Patients covered by an Express Scripts plan now find themselves not only having to change their pharmacists, but many are having to drive farther to get prescriptions filled at pharmacies with less convenient hours for their hectic schedules. Walgreens offers more 24-hour and drive-thru pharmacies than any other pharmacy in the country.
And patients are not seeing their costs go down in exchange for the increased hassle they’re being subject to. It’s all pain with no gain.
Realizing that on one of Express Scripts’ clients is Tricare, which is the health and prescription drug program for America’s military service men and women upsets me the most!
During negotiations, Walgreens took the unprecedented step of offering Express Scripts an ironclad guarantee that Walgreens prices would match or beat the average costs per adjusted prescription of all other pharmacies in the Tricare network. Walgreens did this in an effort to prevent our country’s military personnel from being caught in the middle. Walgreens also offered to contract separately with Express Scripts for Tricare from other Express Scripts commercial business, but these offers were rejected. Express Scripts continues to refuse to negotiate a separate contract for the benefit of the Tricare program and its beneficiaries.
We the customers have to leave Walgreens a pharmacy that we trust with a pharmacist that we trust to go elsewhere to have our scripts refilled. It’s upsetting that we have to go through all of this. Finding another pharmacy may have us driving farther, it means we have to have all our scripts transferred, it means that we will not be greeted with familiar faces and it means they will have different hours of operation and may not be open when we require our medications. This happened to me several years ago while using another pharmacy; they kept cutting hours and closing the pharmacy without telling the customers so when we’d go try to pick them up the pharmacy would be closed. I’m also not one of those people that plan ahead and get the refill a week before I run out; I’m going to the pharmacy to pick up the medicine because I need to take it.
Walgreens is doing to help ease their burden. They are offering a special discount on annual membership for its Walgreens Prescription Savings Club:
For $10 a year, a family membership covers everyone in your immediate family, including a spouse, dependents 22 and younger and pets. Individuals may join for $5. Join and receive discount prices on your prescriptions.
Other benefits include:
Savings on more than 8,000 brand-name and all generic medications.
Discounts on flu shots, pet prescriptions, nebulizers and diabetic supplies.
Bonuses when you purchase Walgreens brand products and photofinishing services.
Help support Walgreens and stay updated by liking them on Walgreens on Facebook and following them on Walgreens on Twitter.
Starting January 1, 2012 Walgreens no longer accepts Express Scripts Inc, I know this because we use Express Scripts Inc and my January refill ended up costing me full price. This decision has upset thousands, including me.Walgreens and Express Scripts
For the past year, Walgreens has negotiated with Express Scripts for a new contract to continue as part of its pharmacy provider network. Those negotiations were unsuccessful, and the contract expired on Dec. 31. As a result, Walgreens is no longer part of Express Scripts’ pharmacy provider network as of Jan. 1, 2012. This includes all Walgreens pharmacies nationwide and Duane Reade pharmacies in the New York City area.
This situation of forcing pharmacy patients to go elsewhere to use their in-network pharmacy benefits was unnecessary. Express Scripts’ actions are causing disruption with no significant benefit to patients or their health plan. Patients covered by an Express Scripts plan now find themselves not only having to change their pharmacists, but many are having to drive farther to get prescriptions filled at pharmacies with less convenient hours for their hectic schedules. Walgreens offers more 24-hour and drive-thru pharmacies than any other pharmacy in the country.
And patients are not seeing their costs go down in exchange for the increased hassle they’re being subject to. It’s all pain with no gain.
Realizing that on one of Express Scripts’ clients is Tricare, which is the health and prescription drug program for America’s military service men and women upsets me the most!
During negotiations, Walgreens took the unprecedented step of offering Express Scripts an ironclad guarantee that Walgreens prices would match or beat the average costs per adjusted prescription of all other pharmacies in the Tricare network. Walgreens did this in an effort to prevent our country’s military personnel from being caught in the middle. Walgreens also offered to contract separately with Express Scripts for Tricare from other Express Scripts commercial business, but these offers were rejected. Express Scripts continues to refuse to negotiate a separate contract for the benefit of the Tricare program and its beneficiaries.
We the customers have to leave Walgreens a pharmacy that we trust with a pharmacist that we trust to go elsewhere to have our scripts refilled. It’s upsetting that we have to go through all of this. Finding another pharmacy may have us driving farther, it means we have to have all our scripts transferred, it means that we will not be greeted with familiar faces and it means they will have different hours of operation and may not be open when we require our medications. This happened to me several years ago while using another pharmacy; they kept cutting hours and closing the pharmacy without telling the customers so when we’d go try to pick them up the pharmacy would be closed. I’m also not one of those people that plan ahead and get the refill a week before I run out; I’m going to the pharmacy to pick up the medicine because I need to take it.
Walgreens is doing to help ease their burden. They are offering a special discount on annual membership for its Walgreens Prescription Savings Club:
For $10 a year, a family membership covers everyone in your immediate family, including a spouse, dependents 22 and younger and pets. Individuals may join for $5. Join and receive discount prices on your prescriptions.
Other benefits include:
Savings on more than 8,000 brand-name and all generic medications.
Discounts on flu shots, pet prescriptions, nebulizers and diabetic supplies.
Bonuses when you purchase Walgreens brand products and photofinishing services.
Help support Walgreens and stay updated by liking them on Walgreens on Facebook and following them on Walgreens on Twitter.
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