Walgreens may drop pharmacy plan for military
U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said she is urging Walgreens to renew the pharmacy chain’s TRICARE plan, a pharmacy program for military veterans and their families. Walgreens announced recently it would not renew its contract with Express Scripts, Inc., the company that manages TRICARE’s pharmacy program.
Gillibrand said she wants the companies to work out an agreement to renew the plan to prevent New York’s military veterans, retirees, and their families from being forced to meet their prescription needs elsewhere. New York veterans would be hit especially hard, she said, since statewide there are nearly 500 Walgreen pharmacies, which include more than 250 Walgreens-owned Duane Reade pharmacies.
According to Gillibrand, Walgreens processes 90 million prescriptions totaling more than $5 billion in annual revenue through Express Scripts. TRICARE, which provides benefits for active service members and retirees, is one of Express Scripts’ largest clients.
