Reminder: TRICARE Brand Name Rx Changes Coming Oct. 1: Please let your patients know this impacts select brand name maintenance drugs only!

All TRICARE beneficiaries, except active duty service members, must get select brand name maintenance drugs through either TRICARE mail order or from a military pharmacy beginning Oct. 1 or pay the full cost at a retail pharmacy. TRICARE patients can continue to receive all generic drugs as well as drugs for shorter-term needs at your pharmacy with no co-pay changes. This is an extension of the current TRICARE for Life pilot program that started in March 2014.

Patients may be granted a waiver to continue to receive all their medications at your pharmacy in limited scenarios such as an emergency, personal needs or special circumstances such as residing in a nursing home. Have your patients or their caregivers call Express Scripts at 1-877-363-1303 to request a waiver.

To help clarify confusing information that your patients may have received about the program, NCPA has prepared a one-page letter outlining some of the changes that you can distribute to your TRICARE patients. A list of the select brand name maintenance drugs impacted can be found here: http://www.health.mil/selectdruglist.

NCPA members recently alerted us that TRICARE beneficiaries are receiving the confusing letters from TRICARE which say, "If you continue to get select maintenance drugs at a network pharmacy, you'll pay 100% of the cost." NCPA has contacted TRICARE leadership about this extremely misleading letter, asking for clarification.

Please let NCPA know if you have a large number of TRICARE patients affected by this change by emailing Michael Rule at Michael.rule@ncpanet.org.