Walgreens tells state educators to shop elsewhere
UPDATE April 2007:
Walgreens to return to WEA Trust pharmacy network
A notice from the WEA Trust:
We are pleased to announce that Walgreens will once again be a participating pharmacy for our prescription drug needs beginning April 1, 2008.
You may recall that Walgreens made the decision to drop out of our pharmacy network last fall saying that they were not being reimbursed sufficiently by CVS Caremark, our drug plan administrator, for filling prescriptions on behalf of Trust health plan members.
Walgreens has since apologized to the Trust for its actions and has shown a renewed desire to work with us. We gave serious thought to their offer to return before accepting. On one hand, their original decision inconvenienced thousands of our members, including many of us here at the Trust, and forced members to go out of their way to locate a new pharmacy for their health needs. On the other hand, we realize that for many of our members Walgreens is a convenient pharmacy in their area.
We have always believed that it is our responsibility to ensure that our health plan members have access to convenient provider networks, including pharmacies, but at a reasonable cost. Therefore, we worked with CVS Caremark to bring Walgreens back to the pharmacy network as of April 1, 2008.
Walgreens has elected to withdraw from the pharmacy network that serves WEA Trust health plan members.
Walgreens stopped sending in prescriptions for reimbursement on behalf of Trust-insured public school employees and their families effective November 29, 2007.
This action stems from a contract dispute between Walgreens and CVS Caremark, the company the Trust uses to administer its prescription drug program. The Trust, which insures about 50% of Wisconsin public school employees, is caught in the middle.
Walgreens is trying to negotiate a new contract with CVS Caremark and is seeking higher reimbursement for filling prescriptions. To put pressure on CVS Caremark, Walgreens informed four companies – including the Trust and Johnson Controls of Milwaukee – that it would not fill their prescriptions.
“We are very disappointed in the actions of Walgreens and have been working diligently to get them to reverse their decision,” said Fred Evert, president and CEO of WEA Trust. “At this point, we strongly encourage our members to shop elsewhere for all their drug store needs.”
The Trust has sent letters to all its health plan members notifying them of Walgreens’ expected departure from the pharmacy network. To avoid any disruption, Trust health plan members are encouraged to transfer their prescriptions to a retail pharmacy that continues to participate in its network.
To identify local participating pharmacies, register at www.caremark.com and use the “Find a Local Pharmacy” feature. You may also call Caremark customer service toll-free at 866-818-6912.
If you have an existing prescription at Walgreens with refills remaining, in most cases you can easily have your new pharmacy transfer the prescription for you. For some medications, such as controlled substances, expired prescriptions, and prescriptions with no refills, a new prescription will be necessary.
Call or visit the nearest participating retail pharmacy. Bring your prescription container to the pharmacy or provide the necessary information on the label to the pharmacist over the phone, and the new pharmacy will handle your next refill.
You do not need to return to Walgreens to transfer your prescription. The prescription container has all the information needed.
If you are unable to find another pharmacy on such short notice and need to fill your prescription immediately, Walgreens may require you to pay for the drugs in full at the time they are dispensed. If that should happen, you may submit your claim to Caremark. Please call Caremark for details on how to submit claims.
For up-to-date information on the Walgreens situation, visit www.weatrust.com.
WEA Trust Web site
Posted November 30, 2007; Updated April 3, 2008