An online tool offered by the administrator of the TRICARE Pharmacy Program allows beneficiaries to compare prices for prescription drugs covered by the TRICARE pharmacy benefit, pointing users toward the best value before they fill their next prescription.
The Price a Medication tool from Express Scripts can be found at the TRICARE Express Scripts website or mobile app; to use it, you must establish an online account. If you have questions about establishing an account, please contact Express Scripts customer service.
Once you are logged into your account, navigate to the “Prescriptions” menu and select “Price a Medication.” If using the mobile app, click the “…” icon to navigate to the “More” menu and select “Price a Medication.”
To complete a search, you will need the medication name and strength, as well as a ZIP code for comparing prices at nearby pharmacies. Search results will include your pharmacy options, drug coverage details, and pricing for a 30- and 90-day supply of your medication.
[RELATED: Here Are Your TRICARE Pharmacy Drug Prices]
In some instances, particularly for low-cost generic maintenance medications, you may find your local retail pharmacy offers prices lower than TRICARE copays. For generic maintenance medications, some beneficiaries could save money by switching from home delivery to retail. The home delivery requirement only applies to brand name maintenance medications.
MOAA examined pricing for the 10 most-prescribed drugs in the U.S. and found 8 of the 10 had retailers offering prices lower than the TRICARE copay. Annual savings for switching to the lowest-cost retailer ranged from $27.80 to $42 and averaged approximately $35 per year.
Retail pharmacy prices can fluctuate from day to day and from one location to the next, but MOAA testing of the tool has found the price charged when filling the prescription at a retail pharmacy to be very close to what was indicated online.
MOAA wants to know your experiences using the Price a Medication tool: Share feedback with us at legis@moaa.org.
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