TRICARE is coming under fire for its decision to renew a multibillion-dollar contract to Express Scripts to manage the U.S. military’s health care program’s pharmacy benefits.
Independent pharmacies said they’ve had to leave the program over unsustainably low reimbursement rates, while changes to the program have required some beneficiaries to receive certain medications directly through Express Scripts’ mail-order pharmacy.
The arrangement has prompted questions from lawmakers about beneficiary access to care and potentially anti-competitive practices by Express Scripts, the second-largest pharmacy benefit manager in the nation.
