washingtonscene
is put in law as the House proposes, Con- gress will be able to ignore any future pro- posed hikes above that rate — and won’t have to come up with any offset. At this point, the only options on the
table are (1) letting the Pentagon impose whatever copayments it wants or (2) ac- cepting the House alternative plan. All things considered, MOAA thinks the significantly lower copayments and future protections of the House plan would be worth requiring a one-year mail-order trial for maintenance medication refills.
You Asked, We W
Answered MOAA responds to mail-order pharmacy questions.
hat’s MOAA’s view on the House- passed defense bill provision that would require TRICARE For Life
(TFL) beneficiaries to use the mail-order pharmacy for all prescription refills? The proposal wouldn’t make it a permanent requirement, and it wouldn’t be for all pre- scription refills. It would require TFL ben- eficiaries to try the mail-order system for maintenance medication refills for one year. After a year, those who preferred not to use mail order could opt out of the program. MOAA isn’t thrilled with the mail-order
requirement, but we think it’s the lesser evil of the only two choices on the table — the other choice being to let DoD leaders charge beneficiaries far higher pharmacy copayments. We think a one-year trial of the mail-order system is worth it to get significantly lower copayments across the board and important protections in law against even larger hikes in the future.
How long does it take to set up an account with the mail-order system?
You should allow two to three weeks be- tween registering for mail order and the first delivery of medication.
How can I use the mail-order pharmacy if I need medication right away? The initial prescription fill can be made through a military or retail pharmacy. The mail-order system is only for refills. Emer- gency or temporary medications still would be filled in retail or military pharmacies.
How would I start using the mail-order pharmacy system? You start by registering with the sys- tem. That can be done online at www
.express-scripts.com/tricare or, if you prefer talking to an agent, by phone at (877) 363-1303. You’ll need a 90-day pre- scription from your doctor, versus the 30-day prescription normally provided through retail stores. If you already have a 30-day supply of medication, you can mail or fax the 90-day prescription to Express Scripts, or the Express Scripts telephone agent can help you have an ex- isting 90-day prescription transferred to the mail-order system. If it’s a new pre- scription you’ve never used before, take the 90-day prescription to a retail or mili- tary pharmacy and ask for a 30-day sup- ply, and then call the mail-order agent to have the prescription transferred to the mail-order system, so you’ll receive your first delivery in a couple of weeks.
What happens when I use up the refills? The mail-order system provides you a reminder when it’s time to order a refill (by email if you signed up online) or when a prescription will expire. At your request, the mail-order agent will contact your doctor to get the prescription renewed.
What happens if my medication gets lost in the mail or other-
[CONTINUES ON PAGE 38] AUGUST 2012 MILITARY OFFICER 35
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