Walgreens & Express Scripts: You Might Not Have to Find a New Pharmacy After All

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walgreens. All opinions are 100% mine.

In case you haven’t heard about what’s going on between Walgreens and Express Script, you can read it now.  Express Scripts, a prescription middleman used by a lot of employers and insurance companies, has dropped Walgreens from their pharmacy provider network effective January 1.  Walgreens tried to work out a deal with Express Scripts for the past year, but it still didn’t work.

This means that if your company uses Express Scripts and you have your prescriptions filled at Walgreens, you’ll now have to deal with the hassle of moving all of your family’s prescriptions to another pharmacy.  You can’t even choose the pharmacy you like best, plus you may have to drive further or switch to a pharmacy that isn’t open 24 hours!  (I love Walgreens the most because they have a drive thru, which is especially helpful if you have sick babies in the car and don’t want to go inside to pick up prescriptions.)   Unfortunately, without Walgreens in their network, the Express Scripts charges for prescriptions might even go up.

Prescription customers like me and you might be feeling caught in the middle between their health plan or employer and their favorite pharmacy over this whole dispute because we don’t really have a say.   

Many active duty military members, retired military members, and military spouses who use Tricare are affected by Express Scripts pulling Walgreens out of their network.  Not just military are involved though, and if you use Walgreens or Duane Reade pharmacies in New York City, you’ll need to find out if this includes you.  

How to Tell if You’re Affected

You can tell if your prescription insurance plan is involved in this change by looking at the back of your prescription insurance card.  If the back shows the Express Scripts logo or says the Express Scripts name, you’ll need to talk to your pharmacist and pay special attention to the next section. 

If you’re still not sure if this affects you, talk to your employer’s insurance contact or call your insurance company directly with the 800 number on your insurance card.  Make sure you have your plan number and company ID number available when you call.

What Can You Do If You’re a Walgreens Customer?

If you are linked with Express Scripts through your insurance company’s choice, you may still be able to keep your prescriptions at Walgreens without having the prices go up (or not go up as much).  This will vary depending on what your medications are and if they’re generic or brand name, of course.  The way you will be able to do this is to enroll yourself or your family in the Walgreens Prescription Savings Club.

To help customers with the Express Scripts transition, Walgreens is offering a special discount to enroll your family between now and January 31.  As long as you sign up before the end of this month, the enrollment fee for the whole year will be $5 for one person (normally 20) or $10 for your family (normally $35), which includes you, your spouse, all your dependents under 22 years old, and your pets. 

Being a member of the Prescription Savings Club will let you get discounts on your prescriptions, discounts on flu shots, pet prescriptions, diabetic supplies, and more.  Many of the generic medicines are available for less than $1 a week for a 3 month supply. 

You can get in touch with Walgreens on Twitter or Walgreens on Facebook to tell them what you think about the situation or ask questions.