posted
For anyone out there who has Medco as a pharmaceutical provider or for whom Medco contracts to authorize the pharmaceutical portion of your plan...BE WARY and WARNED. This predatory company will try to persuade you to purchase your pharmaceutical products by mail rather than at your local pharmacy. They will try to entice you to call them or fax them to do so. In addition, the company will mislead you and or your doctor into instigating a mail order through unclarity about the authorization process. Know that in some instances (maybe many) they charge DOUBLE the copay that you would pay by picking up your meds at the local pharmacy. And...they will mail to you and try to charge you regardless of whether you've authorized that mailing if they can confuse the sometimes-not-well-trained and often-overwhelmed-by-different-plans-and-rules office staff at your doctors offices. Never let your doctor fax them a prescription, if you are just trying to get an authorization. My doc was just trying to get me an autho and because in that process the office staff faxed in the prescription the company says that it can legitimately charge me double on three prescriptions that it said it mailed, that I never ordered from them and which I contacted them and spent many many many hours on the phone trying to get them NOT to send and which ultimately I never received. But of course the threat is that if I don't pay them they will ruin my credit and if I ever seek a mortgage or car loan or loan of any kind it will cost me thousands extra because of my worse credit score. They are a seriously nasty and predatory company...praying on the confusion of the system and on patients who are too sick to deal with all of this or who don't actually know that they can get their medicines for HALF the price that Medco is charging. So just want all of you to know and be forewarned!!!!!!!!!!!!! Don't fall prey to this evil profit-reaping monster of a company that wants to make money on your illness or lack of knowledge.
And if you have had a similar experience, let me know. I'd like to collect them and pitch the story to some news outlets.
posted
Actually I just had a minor run in with them. My insurance plan would not refill, for the very first time, one of my son's prescription. I was told by the insurance company I had to go through MEDCO if the prescription was for more then three months. I called the doctors office and asked them to call for the rifampin.
I ended up getting not only the rifamping but two other prescriptions that go through the pharmacy of which I did not need at all! Luckily I only paid $10.00 for each of them. I figured I could always use the drugs I didn't need at a later date. But I can see where it could get totally out of control.
I had called when I recd the unwanted drugs and they told me they would not take them back and that I was responsible because my doctor gave them the prescription. I know now to be very careful. I found your post very interesting and hope it serves as a helpful warning to others.
Posts: 547 | From Maryland | Registered: Mar 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
That is exactly the justification they are using with me...that the doc sent them the prescription! of course the doc's staff did that because they believed they needed to in order to get the authoriztion!
Yes be careful. Inform your doctor re: exactly what to send in.
Posts: 309 | From CA | Registered: Nov 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
Mail order pharmacies with insurance company contracts can be a lot cheaper than local pharms. You just have to know what the local pharm copay will be, might have to call and get their price to decide whether local or mail order is most cost effective.
Any pharmacy that receives a prescription will assume that it is to be filled by them. Seems like the problem here is lack of communication and knowledge of procedure. Lymies, after a while, get to know the ropes better, but the startup might be rough. Medicine is awfully complicated these days and certainly not user friendly.
Posts: 8430 | From Not available | Registered: Oct 2000
| IP: Logged |
Here is a bit more. I just spoke with my sister who is an attorney. She advises putting in writing to Medco that you don't wish to receive anything ever by mail (if that is your situation.) I have the adddress of the CEO's office for anyone who does want to send such a letter. It is
David Snow 100 Parsons Pond Dr Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417
For folks like me and lymeindunkirk who have received meds we either didn't ask for or explicitly said we didn't want she suggests asking Medco to supply
1. Proof that they sent it 2. Let them know that you know that once you have rejected their offer there is no legally binding contract between you and the company. If they choose to mail you something once you have advised them to stop, at that point it is the company's choice to send it but you are under no obligation to pay. 3. In my situation where I live in a place that there is active drug dealing and nothing sits on my porch, she advises that if they provide proof of mailing to fill out a police report that these packages were stolen off my porch.
Good luck to y'all. Pom
Posts: 309 | From CA | Registered: Nov 2002
| IP: Logged |
Beverly
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 1271
posted
I have Medco, and mail order was the only way I could get my really expensive scripts filled. Some of the cheaper ones like Elavil I can get filled at the pharmacy, but they do not cover Synthriod at all.
They really gave me a hard time about Ambien. First I was told I had to get the script filled through mail order and then they would only give me one month and would not fill the rest. My doctor wrote it for X3 refills and I never got them and I paid for the whole thing too, never got my money back.
This is a very intresting thread...
Posts: 6641 | From Michigan | Registered: Jun 2001
| IP: Logged |
posted
I just reordered two prescriptions with MEDCO and I am only being charged $10.00 each which is the correct copay. I'll let you know if the arrive safely and if everything works out.
I saw my doctor on Monday and she commented what a pain in the butt it was to start the intial order with MEDCO. She told me they asked a lot of questions which is why I'm assuming the doctors office gave them all my son's prescriptions and not just the one I had asked them to order. I wasn't having issues getting the others from the pharmacy. The rifampin was the one I wasn't allowed to get past three months with the pharmacy.
Also found it interesting that the pharmacy told me my insurance company did not allow me to get more then 8 tablets of azithromycin a month. I had just had a prescription for it filled when MEDCO sent me 8 more pills. the order date on the bottle is 3/19/07. It also says on the bottle that I can order the refill after 3/23/07 which is FOUR DAYS LATER! I'm not complaining because I really needed more then the eight. I am just wondering if MEDCO isn't really keeping track with the insurance company. Right now it works for me.
Posts: 547 | From Maryland | Registered: Mar 2005
| IP: Logged |
Beverly
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 1271
posted
Just want to add, they do fill my Malarone and Zithromax, and I have not had any problems with how many Zithromax or Malarone so far. I don't like the way you can't sign for the meds and it's dropped of on the porch.
Posts: 6641 | From Michigan | Registered: Jun 2001
| IP: Logged |
posted
I used to have Medco and now have Caremark. I preferred Medco. Either way, it is CHEAPER for me to order by mail because I can get a 3 month's supply for slightly more than ONE month's supply costs me at the pharmacy.
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96239 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
| IP: Logged |
posted
Yah they try to entice us at my company to switch to mail order saying that it will be cheaper because we can get three months for the price of two. However, when I spoke with DeGloria, a Medco their "care resolution specialist" today she told me the copay through Medco is correct at $40 per order even tho at my local pharmacy it is $20!! Somehow I don't get how paying $40 per order per month instead of $20 per month per order is going to save me a months worth of copayment. In fact it actually increases my costs by $60 over three months per prescription.
Glad to hear they were true to their marketing for you Lymetoo.
posted
I think that one of the problems with these kinds of Pharmacy Benefit outfits is that in many cases their income is "capitated", they get so much per head, and have to squeeze their profits in part by figuring new ways to limit drug benefits. My sense is that in the long run they may end up doing significant medical damage to those they serve. And more of a doctor's precious time and energy is spent negotiating with them. Their strategy of course is to wear the doc's down by denials. Sick, the system is sick.
IP: Logged |
treepatrol
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 4117
posted
I have them through the state and my wife and me mostly her havent had any problems with them? Order 90 days synthroid which you get generic unless specified. $15.00 for 90 days worth.
-------------------- Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Remember Iam not a Doctor Just someone struggling like you with Tick Borne Diseases.
The Lyme Disease Network is a non-profit organization funded by individual donations. If you would like to support the Network and the LymeNet system of Web services, please send your donations to:
The
Lyme Disease Network of New Jersey 907 Pebble Creek Court,
Pennington,
NJ08534USA http://www.lymenet.org/
UBBFriend: Email this page to someone!
Printer-friendly view of this topic