Click here for our official statement regarding Walgreens' Departure
December 29, 2011
Members read below for how this may affect you.
Walgreens Leaves Express Scripts Network
Updated on January 1, 2012
You may have heard about the ongoing negotiations between Express Scripts and Walgreens retail pharmacies. Unfortunately, the two companies did not reach an agreement before their current contract expired on Dec. 31, 2011. This means Walgreens will no longer be a network pharmacy for our members whose pharmacy benefits are administered by Express Scripts beginning Jan. 1, 2012. If you're not sure this applies to you, check your ID card for the Express Scripts logo.
We at Blue Cross and HMO Louisiana are committed to providing you access to quality care you can afford, and we're grateful that you chose us for your health plan. We appreciate your business and your patience during this transition. Please read below for more about what this change means and how it may affect you.
What does this mean?
It’s important to understand that this dispute is between Express Scripts and Walgreens. In this situation, BCBSLA is a customer of Express Scripts, our contracted pharmacy benefit manager. We partnered with Express Scripts for their ability to negotiate these national contracts on our behalf to help us keep costs down and prescriptions affordable. Express Scripts administers pharmacy benefits for BCBSLA customers and those of other health plans and employers nationwide. It is because these two companies did not agree, that we can no longer count Walgreens as a network pharmacy.
Walgreens' proposal included demands that would be out of line with industry norms. If Express Scripts had accepted Walgreens' demands, it would mean higher costs for consumers.
We are confident that Express Scripts has done everything in their power to find a solution to the Walgreens dispute. However, Walgreens did not agree to the competitive and reasonable rates Express Scripts offered.
What You Need to Know:
Because Walgreens is no longer a network pharmacy, using them to fill your prescriptions will cost you more out-of-pocket and out-of-network benefits will apply. This means you would have to pay for your medication in full when you pick it up and you would need to file your own claim. Further, we can reimburse you for only what we would have paid a network pharmacy, less any copayments, deductibles or cost sharing you may have according to your health plan.
You will get the highest level of benefits when you fill prescriptions at a network pharmacy. For this reason, we encourage you to manage your prescription costs carefully by using a pharmacy in your network.
Finding Another Pharmacy:
There are many network pharmacies that are eager to serve our Blue Cross and HMO Louisiana members. To find a network pharmacy that works for you, just go to www.Express-Scripts.com. Or, you can log in at www.bcbsla.com and click Manage Medication. If you don't have an online account yet, registration is easy, just click Register and follow the instructions.
Moving Your Prescription:
Moving your Walgreens prescriptions to another pharmacy is easy. Simply ask your new pharmacy to call the Walgreens you use; or, take your current prescription bottle and your prescription ID card to your new pharmacy. You can also visit www.StartHomeDelivery.com to begin receiving up to a 90-day supply of your maintenance medications (those you take regularly) at home.
If you need help finding a pharmacy or transferring your prescriptions, please visit the Express Scripts website at www.Express-Scripts.com or call them toll free at 877-508-1379.
For more information
*Express Scripts, Inc. (ESI) is an independent company that serves as the pharmacy benefit manager for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana and HMO Louisiana, Inc.