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Public
Employee Press
Deadline April 1 for mandatory mail order drugs
The transition period for the new mandatory mail-order program
for maintenance drugs ends April 1. That means neighborhood pharmacies
can no longer accept members prescriptions for drugs for chronic
illnesses such as heart disease, high blood pressure and arthritis. These
drugs must be purchased through the mail-order program run by Express
Scripts, Inc. for the employees, retirees and dependents in the DC 37
Health and Security Plan.
The mail-order program became mandatory Jan. 1. But the plan allowed local
pharmacies to fill such prescriptions for a three-month transition period
to allow members and retirees to get used to the new requirement.
People seem to be adapting to the mandatory mail program without
much of a problem, said Rosaria R. Esperon, administrator of the
plan. In December, the mail-order program processed 19,973 claims. The
number nearly doubled to 37,861 the following month.
Savings for members
The plan decided last year to make mail purchase mandatory for maintenance
drugs to save money for members, cut costs for the plan and protect the
benefit. As medication costs soar, the drug benefit has been hit by a
gap of more than $40 million a year between revenues and expenses.
To make the mail-order program more convenient, Express Scripts will now
accept prescriptions for up to one year, compared to six months in the
past. To take advantage of the longer period, patients must, of course,
get their physician to write one-year prescriptions.
Members and retirees who take maintenance drugs may call Express Scripts
at 800-233-7139 to learn more about the mail-order program, which saves
participants one-third of what they would pay at a local pharmacy.
Postage-free envelopes for the program can be obtained by calling 212-815-1531.
Filling prescriptions through the mail usually takes up to 14 days, but
ordering on-line at www.express-scripts.com can cut the time substantially.
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