Mail order Pricing Coming to Walgreens 

Optum and Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) recently announced an alliance by which Optum Rx members can fill 90-day maintenance medication prescriptions at Walgreens stores at mail-order copays. Although cheaper, mail-order pharmacy benefits are not always popular with patients so this may be a welcome development for some health plans. Optum indicates that there will be two options. In one, there are higher copays if the member does not use Optum mail-order or Walgreens after two “grace fills.” In the other, the member would pay 100% of the drug’s cost if Optum mail-order or Walgreens is not used. Initial information indicates that mail-order pricing discounts would apply to these prescriptions. However, plan sponsors interested in this new arrangement should carefully review the arrangement to ensure pricing remains at, or below, current levels for both the patient and the health plan.

Go to full article: wsj.com