Walgreens pharmacies joined the TRICARE retail pharmacy network on Dec. 1, 2016. CVS pharmacies, including those in Target stores, left the network on the same day. The revised network will have more than 57,000 locations, and still ensures timely access to retail pharmacies for TRICARE beneficiaries. 

Express Scripts, Inc. (ESI) manages the TRICARE retail pharmacy network under a contract with the Department of Defense. ESI reached a new network agreement with Walgreens, but not CVS. 

Most pharmacy locations in the network aren’t changing, including other major chains like Rite Aid and Walmart, grocery stores, and thousands of community pharmacies around the country. About 98 percent of TRICARE beneficiaries still have a network pharmacy within five miles of their home. 

If you fill a prescription at CVS after Dec. 1, it will be a non-network pharmacy. This means you will have to pay the full cost of the medication up front, and file a claim for partial reimbursement. Starting on Dec. 1, you can transfer your prescription to Walgreens, or any other pharmacy in the TRICARE retail pharmacy network. TRICARE Pharmacy Home Delivery and military pharmacies may also be lower cost choices for some beneficiaries. 

The ESI website (www.express-scripts.com) has more information on the revised network, and can help you find a new retail pharmacy location near you, or call ESI at 855-778-1417.

– article submitted by TRICARE Communications