PDP's and Pharmacy Connections Are Out of Hand

[Midlevel]

I feel it is getting a little bit ridiculous with the amount of Prescription Drug Plans that are hooked up with certain pharmacies. Each year some of the plans then change their preferred pharmacy list and people do not pay attention to their Annual Notice of Change books and get stuck on the plan and have to switch pharmacies. Perfect example is the Coventry First Health plan that came out with low premiums and copays and pushed Walgreens as their preferred pharmacy, now that all these people switched to Walgreens they find out they are no longer a preferred pharmacy.

These plans are confusing enough for agents and clients alike without allowing them to hook up with certain pharmacies. It has really hurt the small town locally owned pharmacies too. I am done ranting now.

 

[rousemark]

I feel it is getting a little bit ridiculous with the amount of Prescription Drug Plans that are hooked up with certain pharmacies. Each year some of the plans then change their preferred pharmacy list and people do not pay attention to their Annual Notice of Change books and get stuck on the plan and have to switch pharmacies. Perfect example is the Coventry First Health plan that came out with low premiums and copays and pushed Walgreens as their preferred pharmacy, now that all these people switched to Walgreens they find out they are no longer a preferred pharmacy.

These plans are confusing enough for agents and clients alike without allowing them to hook up with certain pharmacies. It has really hurt the small town locally owned pharmacies too. I am done ranting now.

First health dropped KMart as a preferred pharmacy so my wife and I switched to a Cigna plan.

 

[wehotex]

I feel it is getting a little bit ridiculous with the amount of Prescription Drug Plans that are hooked up with certain pharmacies. Each year some of the plans then change their preferred pharmacy list and people do not pay attention to their Annual Notice of Change books and get stuck on the plan and have to switch pharmacies. Perfect example is the Coventry First Health plan that came out with low premiums and copays and pushed Walgreens as their preferred pharmacy, now that all these people switched to Walgreens they find out they are no longer a preferred pharmacy.

These plans are confusing enough for agents and clients alike without allowing them to hook up with certain pharmacies. It has really hurt the small town locally owned pharmacies too. I am done ranting now.

Aetna/Coventry has pulled the same stunt in San Antonio. They cam up with their preferred and standard list and entirely eliminated the pharmacies of our ONLY real grocery store in So. Texas (it's a monopoly). Aetna pissed them off so much that the grocery store sent out letters to advise of other carriers and followed up with telephone calls. At mid-AEP, a buddy of mine switched 10 Aetna PDP mb's over to UHC MA plan. In some areas of SA, the nearest CVS is at least 3 miles away. Ridiculous.