AARP Part D – $2 Copay With PharmacySaver
AARP Part D PharmacySaver program includes $2 copays on some drugs
Medicare Part D is a very competitive business. Insurance companies who offer Medicare Part D plans are looking for ways to set themselves apart from their competitors. The latest tactic for United HealthCare is to offer $2 prescriptions for some AARP Part D drugs through a program they are branding as PharmacySaver.
It seems that insurance companies are taking a page from the retail pharmacy play book. When companies like Walmart, Target and Walgreens offered $4 copays for many generic drugs it created quite a buzz. Offering a price leader in the retail industry is nothing new ans it’s done because it works.
The marketing department for AARP Part D Plans at United Healthcare seem to using some of the same tactics used to sell the Humana Walmart-Preferred RX Plan and the CVS Caremark Part D Plans. The main difference is they lack one major marketable brand like Walmart or CVS.
The PharmacySaver program does make many drugs available to their members for as little as $2 like the Humana Walmart Part D Plan does but they are relying on many smaller pharmacies to accomplish the task. The main question is whether or not several smaller pharmacies can give the PharmacySaver program national coverage and appeal.
Where do you get AARP Part D prescriptions for $2?
United HealthCare has negotiated rates with some of their network pharmacies to get lower costs on hundreds prescription drugs for their members. It’s important to note that not all of the nearly 60,000 in-network pharmacy locations offer a discount below the plan’s copay.
Benefits of the PahrmacySaver program include:
- $2 or $4 for a 90-day supply on many drugs through Prescription Solutions Mail Order Pharmacy.
- Depending on the location, a $2 or $5 copay for a 30 day supply on many prescription drugs.
A partial listing of pharmacies include: Kroger, Fred Myer, Frys, City Market Ralphs, Smith’s, Baker’s, Highlander, Safeway, Vons, Tom Thumb, Pavillions, Dominick’s and several others.
Without diminishing the size of any of these PharmacySaver participating pharmacies you can see that they lack the brand coherence that retail stores like Walmart and CVS bring to the table. After all, Walmart is the worlds largest retailer and CVS pharmacy fills more prescriptions than any other pharmacy in the US.
Even though there are bound to be people without a participating PharmacySaver location, the fact that AARP Medicare Part D Plans will make available hundreds of prescription drugs for as little as $2 is welcome news to many AARP Part D members.
It’s worth considering AARP Part D Plans for more reasons than merely having the opportunity to get $2 prescriptions. Also, it’s more than likely that the marketing department will surely try to increase the number of participating pharmacies.
Did you enjoy this post? Why not leave a comment below and continue the conversation, or subscribe to my feed and get articles like this delivered automatically to your feed reader.
Comments
Richard, Unfortunately most customer service reps are not licensed agents and can provide very little information. When requesting information from a Medicare Part D provider, ask for a website link or to have information mailed to you. If you are an AARP Part D member you can ask to speak with or be referred to a licensed agent.
[...] 4.AARP Part D – $2 Copay With PharmacySaver | Medicare Part D Insurance Jan 5, 2011 … AARP Part D Plans will offer $2 copay on many drugs, … to sell the Humana Walmart-Preferred RX Plan and the CVS Caremark Part D Plans. … http://www.partdplanfinder.com/aarp-part-d-2-copay-with-pharmacysaver/ [...]
I am a member of your part d perscription solutions and I would like to reorder my perscription on computer, how do I do this?
Jack, This site is not owned or operated by an insurance company. many Medicare Part D plans are discussed in addition to AARP Medicare Rx plans. You will need to contact your plan to determine if this is possible.
I totally agree with Mr. Forbes. At best, you get generic, vague answers to questions when you reach AARP/UHC Reps. It is because they are trained to answer in a generic way according to a printed instruction sheet. Other than that, they are lost to provide an intelligent answer. Call the mail order pharmacy reps and you get the same types of replies.
This is the way, we the consumer are kept ill-informed, with next to zero recourse when questions and problem-solving is required.
Comment #2:
Specific problem, not answered. Time spent so far 30 min+ speaking to an AARP/UHC phone rep. I was directed to a website specific to AARP only to find it was non-existent.
(aarpbrandedpharmacysaver.com). I tried this site which is non-specific to my RX list. I called a Prescription Solutions phone Rep. to find out why a drug listed as eligible for the PharmacySaver program is charged to me at the plan retail copay of $7 and not the pharmacy saver price of a $2 co-pay. I was referred to call AARP! Very frustrating and very time consuming, ending up with no satisfactory answers!!
comment #3
As for this site: Why aren’t there links provided so you can reach your own plan from this page! This site is a dead-end. Just have to start over from square one if you insist on an intelligent answer!
M. Lee, As is stated on the About Page of this site…. it is not owned or operated by an insurance company.
I was told Walgreen pharmacy was in the $2 drug savings program,but the local Walgreen’s has no knowledge of it.Is this just a poor joke?
Glenda, To see a list of all pharmacies included in the UnitedHealthCare Pharmacy Saver program vist http://www.pharmacysaver.com. Walgreen is not listed.
Maple, I’m guessing UnitedHealthCare either chose not to include them or couldn’t reach an agreement on terms.
WHERE CAN I FIND THE DRUG LIST OF AARP/UNITED PHARMACY
SAVER WHERE I PAY ONLY $2 as co-pay. It is nowhere in
the internet.
although this article was interesting, when you call unitedhealth care reps, they are uniformative, no nothing of this plan, or just dumb