Happy Veterans Day! 

Today, we show our support for veterans by demanding safer options for them to access their medications.

Many veterans must rely on life-threatening mail-order pharmacies for medications or some may travel over 50 miles to the closest base to pick up medications. Many veterans cannot use their coverage of many life-saving medications at a pharmacy that may be in the same town or located next door to their residence.

Forced Mail-order and Restricted Pharmacy Networks is Costing ALL Taxpayers 

Forced mail-order isn't happening to reduce costs as noted here in the article. Although this veteran had a lower copay, the veteran noticed upon looking at his EOB's that Express Scripts reimbursed it's own pharmacy $666 for a drug that is commonly $20 over the counter. He brought this to light because these are tax dollars wasted as veterans are forced to needlessly risk their lives as many face delays, thefts, and interruptions in care with mail-order pharmacy.

Here are just a few of the many issues with PBMs (Optum RX, CVS Caremark, Express Scripts) and their mail-order pharmacies. "But Talley, 60, said Express Scripts doesn’t do much to serve her. To get most brand-name drugs or less-expensive generics, she has to either obtain them through Express Scripts’ mail-order pharmacy — which Talley said often takes two weeks — or she can drive 10 miles to a military-run pharmacy at Fort Knox, where “sometimes you can wait hours.”

"Charlotte Ortiz, a 39-year-old Ohio Air National Guard recruiter living in Springfield who had developed a rare, aggressive cancer. The cancer was so rare that there was no FDA-approved drug to treat it. But Express Scripts disallowed any “off-label” use — meaning that it wouldn’t pay for the $11,000-per-month drug her nationally renowned doctors said she needed. That triggered appeals that Express Scripts could take up to 90 days to consider, a period during which all of Ortiz’s other treatments could be delayed as well."

"Charles Gallagher, a retired naval officer living on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, is one of those guys who pores over his monthly explanations of benefits — not because the money is coming out of his pocket, but because he’s trying to protect the taxpayer. He noticed that Express Scripts has billed Tricare for omeprazole, a generic heartburn medication, for a 90-day supply at rates ranging from $8.51 to $666 since 2017."

If you look at your mailed EOBs and notice PBMs (Optum RX, CVS Caremark or Express Scripts) are reimbursing their own pharmacies more than the costs of drugs or if you have other PBM or mail-order pharmacy issues, please message loretta@uniteforsafemeds.com and share your story.

You may also help by making a donation to Unite for Safe Medications

Thank you for your support and we hope you have a lovely Veterans Day