JUNE 5, 2024 – Do you often make trips to the pharmacy to pick up your prescriptions? For many, this process can be time consuming. If you have TRICARE For Life (TFL), you have pharmacy coverage through the TRICARE Pharmacy Program. This means you can use TRICARE Pharmacy Home Delivery.
“Many TFL beneficiaries like the convenience of having their prescriptions delivered to their homes,” said Melanie Richardson, a pharmacist in the Purchased Care Branch at the Defense Health Agency. “TRICARE Pharmacy Home Delivery is an affordable, safe, and quick way to get medications you take on a regular basis.”
Read on to learn if TRICARE Pharmacy Home Delivery is right for you.
Why TRICARE Pharmacy Home Delivery?
Here are five good reasons to sign up for home delivery.
- TRICARE Pharmacy Home Delivery is convenient. You don’t need to set aside time for a trip to the pharmacy since your prescriptions are shipped to you. Express Scripts, which administers the TRICARE Pharmacy Program, coordinates home delivery. Express Scripts will ship to any address in the United States and U.S. territories. This includes APO, FPO, and DPO addresses. There are a few restrictions you should be aware of. Express Scripts usually can’t ship prescriptions that need refrigeration to American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, or other overseas locations. In Germany, you can’t receive medications through home delivery, but you can receive medical supplies.
- Wondering about costs? Prescriptions you get from via home delivery may cost less than prescriptions you get from a retail pharmacy. You can receive up to a 90-day supply of your prescription for one copayment. This is delivered to you with free standard shipping. In contrast, you pay three copayments for a 90-day supply at TRICARE retail network pharmacies.
- Home delivery comes with helpful features to manage your prescriptions. You can manage home delivery prescriptions online, by phone, or with the free Express Scripts Pharmacy Mobile App. You can get notifications about your prescription and order status. They can also remind you to approve prescription refills.
- Do you have questions about your medication? Express Scripts has pharmacists who can help. They can answer your questions about side effects, dosages, and more. Pharmacists are available through your Express Scripts online account and the Express Scripts Pharmacy mobile app.
- Get specialty drugs delivered to you. As of March 1, Accredo provides specialty drugs and clinical services if you fill specialty prescriptions with home delivery. You may have to switch to home delivery if you take a specialty drug and use a retail pharmacy. This requirement follows changes to the TRICARE Pharmacy Program. Accredo is an accredited specialty pharmacy.
Want to switch to TRICARE Pharmacy Home Delivery?
It’s easy to switch to TRICARE Pharmacy Home Delivery. Here are your options for switching:
- Sign up online at Express Scripts or through the Express Scripts Pharmacy mobile app.
- Ask your doctor to submit your prescription electronically via e-Prescribe.
- Call Express Scripts at 877-363-1303.
What are my other pharmacy options?
Your pharmacy options through TFL are:
- Military pharmacies: You can get up to a 90-day supply of most medications at no cost. Most military pharmacies accept prescriptions from civilian and military providers. Military pharmacies are usually located in military hospitals and clinics. Find military hospitals and clinics near you.
- TRICARE retail network pharmacies: You can fill prescriptions at TRICARE retail network pharmacies throughout the U.S. and in most U.S. territories. You’ll pay one copayment for each 30-day supply. Use the Express Scripts Find a Pharmacy tool to find a retail network pharmacy near you.
- Non-network pharmacies: You pay the full price up front at non-network pharmacies. You must file a claim for reimbursement. As noted in the TRICARE For Life Handbook, claims are subject to applicable TRICARE deductibles, copayments, and out-of-network cost-shares.
Regardless of what pharmacy option you use, the TRICARE Pharmacy Program provides the prescription drugs you need, when you need them. Check out the TRICARE Pharmacy Program Handbook and the TRICARE For Life Handbook to learn more.
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Courtesy Story
Defense Health Agency