MOUNTAIN HOME AIR FORCE BASE, Idaho -- As of Oct. 1, a new law requires all non-active-duty TRICARE beneficiaries living in the U.S. to obtain select brand name maintenance drugs through either TRICARE Pharmacy Home Delivery or from a military pharmacy. Beneficiaries who continue to use a retail pharmacy for these drugs will have to pay the full cost unless covered by other prescription drug insurance.

Maintenance drugs are those an individual must take regularly for a long time, such as drugs to control blood pressure or cholesterol. The law does not apply to drugs taken for a short time, like antibiotics or generic drugs. A full list of affected maintenance medications can be found at www.health.mil/selectdruglist.

Those affected should have received a letter from the TRICARE pharmacy contractor, Express Scripts, in September alerting them to switch medication sources as well as explaining the new requirement and available options. Anyone still filling prescriptions of affected drugs at a retail pharmacy will receive another letter reminding them of the benefit change.

After the reminder, people choosing to use a retail pharmacy will receive one final courtesy prescription prior to the 100 percent cost implementation.

One option available to impacted beneficiaries is TRICARE's home delivery, which is a safe, convenient and low cost option to order maintenance drugs, providing up to a 90-day supply, as opposed to a 30-day supply from a retail pharmacy. Beneficiaries can save up to $176 each year per brand-name drug if they use the home delivery service.  Transferring prescriptions to home delivery can be accomplished through www.tricare.mil by going to the "Manage my Prescriptions" tab and clicking "Switch Retail Prescriptions to Home Delivery." Patients can also call 877-363-1433 to have their prescriptions switched. 

Another option is using a military pharmacy, which offers up to a 90-day supply of drugs with no co-payment, but not all drugs are available. Beneficiaries should check with the 366th Medical Group Pharmacy to see if the staff carries certain prescriptions by calling 208-828-6947.  Prescriptions can be transferred to the pharmacy by filling out a Prescription Transfer Request Form at the MDG Pharmacy. 

For more information about this change to TRICARE's pharmacy benefit, contact Express Scripts at 1-877-363-1303 or visit www.tricare.mil/RxNewRules.