TRICARE, the nation's health network for 9.6+ million active duty and retired military service members and their families worldwide, has signed a new contract with the PBM Express Scripts that excludes 15,000+ independent pharmacies from the network.
Why this matters: This decision makes it harder for TRICARE patients to obtain prescriptions in a convenient, cost-effective manner. Starting last week, TRICARE is forcing patients with cancer and other serious diseases to use its Accredo Health, a mail-order pharmacy company owned by Express Scripts’ parent company, Cigna.
The effect: The cost, wait time, and likelihood of care disruptions increases when using PBM mail-order pharmacies. COA has documented the many horror stories of patients who have faced this issue.
Next steps: COA has sent a letter to the Defense Health Agency (DHA) and key Congressional committees asking for them to reconsider the Express Scripts decision and put the nation's military first.