TRICARE For Life: Pharmacy program to start

BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. -- After March 14, a TRICARE pilot program will require certain TRICARE For Life beneficiaries to use TRICARE Pharmacy Home Delivery or a military pharmacy to fill prescriptions for select maintenance medications. This pilot was a provision of the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act in an effort to help control rising healthcare costs.

Certain TFL beneficiaries taking an affected medication started receiving letters, Feb. 18, notifying them of the program. You are not affected by this pilot program and do not have to do anything if you do not receive a letter. After the pilot starts, the beneficiaries who are contacted have two additional 30-day refills of their prescriptions covered at a retail pharmacy before they are responsible for 100 percent of the cost. Beneficiaries must call the TRICARE pharmacy contractor, Express Scripts, at 1-877-882-3335 to switch to Home Delivery in order to avoid any unnecessary costs, or with other questions about their medications.

Some individuals are exempt, including people with another prescription drug plan, or people living outside the United States. People living in a nursing home may contact Express Scripts to request a waiver.

TRICARE Pharmacy Home Delivery is safe, convenient and easy to use. Home Delivery offers beneficiaries a 90-day supply of their brand name medication delivered right to their home for $13. Switching these prescriptions from a retail pharmacy to Home Delivery, can save TRICARE beneficiaries up to $152 a year for each prescription. Beneficiaries can also save by asking their doctor to write them a prescription for a generic version of their medication.

"Home Delivery is an excellent choice for TRICARE beneficiaries to get their maintenance medications. It has been successfully used for more than 10 years by TRICARE beneficiaries worldwide who love the service and convenience," said Lt. Col. Achilles Hamilothoris, Barksdale Pharmacies flight commander. "Not only is it a less expensive and convenient choice, but Home Delivery contributes to better health by making sure you never run out of your medication."

For further information about the Barksdale list of stocked medications or contact information, visit the 2nd Medical Group homepage at www.barksdale.af.mil/units/2dmedicalgroup.asp or by calling 456-8348. If we stock your medication at Barksdale, and you would like to start receiving it from the base pharmacy, please bring in a new prescription from your provider to our Satellite Pharmacy, which is located at the Exchange.

For the most recent information about the TRICARE pilot program or to sign up for e-alerts with the latest updates, please visit the TRICARE site at www.tricare.mil/tfpilot or call 1-877-882-3335.