GETTING YOUR PRESCRIPTIONS BY MAIL

Many insurance plans allow patients to get a three-month supply of their medications for only two co-pays through a PBM, Pharmaceutical Benefit Manager.  The name of their PBM is often listed on the back of their insurance card, or they may have a separate card for this purpose.  Otherwise, a patient may contact Members' Services at the telephone number listed on the back of their card to determine the name and location of their PBM.

COMMON PBMs:

• Merk Medco

• WHI (Walgreens Health Initiative)

• Caremark

• Express Scripts

• Prescription Solutions

PROCEDURE

Patients obtain from their doctor a prescription for each of their medications.  The prescription is written to provide a three-month supply.  The patient mails these prescriptions to his or her PBM and then contacts the mail-in pharmacy to set up an account for payment by check or credit card.  The patient can then request from the mail-in pharmacy a three-month supply of medications for which they have current prescriptions on file.  The medication is then mailed to the patient’s home, with the entire process taking about 10 days.  A patient is usually able to get a 1-month supply of their medications from a local pharmacy while he or she waits for PBM prescriptions to arrive.