by Jim Hamilton, COL Ret. MTARNG, Florence
Like many military veterans, I was shocked to learn that the primary provider of my prescription medication through the TRICARE Program, Express Scripts, would no longer allow certain local, independent pharmacies fill prescriptions. Express Scripts is one of three Pharmacy Benefit Management organizations (PBM) that control over 70% of the prescription drug market. I have used area pharmacies like Rosauers, Valley Drug, Florence Pharmacy, etc. to fill prescriptions only when they are needed quickly, like the same day.
About six months ago, Express Scripts cut out Rosauers availability to me, so I switched to Florence Pharmacy, which is close to where I live. Now Express Scripts wants to cut out this local drug store and force me to shop at one of their suggested local pharmacies which might be 20-30 miles away, or possibly longer.
This business practice isn’t consistent with public policy goals of improving pharmaceutical spending as well as doing what is best for the veteran. Besides being a thirty-year military veteran, I also worked for two major pharmaceutical companies, Merck and Bristol, for twenty-five years. At least the drug companies do the research and develop the products they sell. PBMs are the middle-folks in the entire operation and don’t produce anything except money in their own pockets.
The stated goals of the TRICARE pharmacy program are to provide beneficiaries (veterans) access to prescription medication through:
1) Retail Network Pharmacies (small independent drug stores).
2) Home Delivery (PBMs like Express Scripts).
3) Military Pharmacies (Malmstrom, VA etc.).
Now if the greedy PBMs can eventually cut out the military pharmacies they would have the entire business to themselves. Thank you for your service you entitled Veterans and only buy from us.
helen sabin says
JIM – I got letters back from Daines and Tester and both said, “I WILL FIGHT FOR. YOU!” Baloney…! Express scripts has now also apparently stopped the traditional 90-day fill of meds that most people, when they get older, especially need, and are going to only a 30-day fill and at a higher price according to a man in a legion meeting the other night. Costs are going up just doing that. IT will triple handling of an order rather than one order at a time. Further, it is a slap in the face to all vets and their families who were paid a lot less than federal employees with the promise of good health care. The VA system is a joke and should be turned over to vets to run. What Daines and Tester need to do is rescind the contract from Express scripts and Tricare and get another medical/pharmacy network in place. I don’t believe either of these senators who don’t seem to get much done much less “fight” for us. They waste so much money on stupid things that are UNPROVEN like climate change or global warming or etc or pushing electrical vehicles that are energy consumers of the first class while ignoring that it is children who work gathering the lithium to fuel the batteries in those vehicles. But then – I can see wy young ones are sying NO NO NO to militry service. If I had my way I would have told my men in my family the same thing – you are not appreciated by the government – especially the Democrats and this action now shows that.