updated April 24, 2008

Why it doesn’t pay to shop Walgreens for your prescription needs …

• Walgreens is the largest single pharmacy group by far with approximately 20 percent of the prescriptions. Approximately 14,000 individual State of Minnesota members had prescriptions filled in the first quarter of 2008. 
• Walgreens received the most money of any pharmacy affiliate from the state health plan at approximately $3.8 million or 18.8 percent of nearly $20 million paid out to all pharmacies in the first three months of 2008, according to the state’s data. However, Walgreens has received easily the most from state employees at more than $1 million in or 22.9 percent of the total of just under $4.5 million.
• Unlike other pharmacies, corporate Walgreens has refused to direct its affiliates to dispense prescription drugs at the cost of the drug if it is less than the copay. Some local Walgreens pharmacists may agree to dispense at the lower cost.
  
  Earlier this year, MAPE members were informed that CVS and Walgreens began charging state employees the full tier copay even if the actual cost of the drug was less than the copay amount. The pharmacies then offered them the option to purchase their prescriptions at the lower at-cost amount if they didn’t use their pharmacy benefit cards. However, by not using their pharmacy benefit cards the members would not get credit toward their yearly out-of-pocket maximum. In previous years, state employees would pay the actual cost of the drug or the copay, whichever was less.
  
  By early February, the pressure from MAPE members and other state workers paid off. CVS reached an agreement with the pharmacy benefit manager (Navitus) to dispense at the cost of the drug or the copay, whichever is lower. Walgreens has refused to reach an agreement.
• We strongly urge all MAPE members who are in this situation to switch pharmacies, and let Walgreens know why they are making the switch. Specifically requesting Walgreens to forward the prescription to the new pharmacy will help emphasize the point. MAPE members can locate another pharmacy by calling the toll-free Navitus Customer Care line at 866-333-2757.
  
  A list of pharmacies is also available by going to the Navitus website at www.navitus.com and clicking on “Find a Pharmacy” under “Members”. This will not have the specific information about the copays, but members can call the pharmacies directly to ask the question.
  
  As a reminder, here are the drug copays for 2008: Tier 1 is copay $10. Tier 2 copay is $16. Tier 3 copay is $36.