Tom Curtis: New Problems With Express Scripts/Medco Mail Order Program

From Tom Curtis, January 10, 2013

2013 Brings New Problems With Express Scripts/Medco Mail Order Program

by Thomas Curtis, STRS Retiree

STRS benefit recipients (BR) who order their prescription medications from Express Scripts/Medco will possibly find many new frustrations when they attempt to refill their current prescriptions online. New prescriptions sent in by a doctor after January 1st may not have any problems. Prescriptions that had refills remaining in 2012, from my experiences to date in 2013 will be a problem.

When I tried to refill 3 scripts online after the first of the year, I was not permitted to do so. These 3 scripts qualified for refills prior to the end of 2012. There should have been no reason why I could not refill them online after the first of the year. I could not refill them because ES/Medco changed the permissible refill dates to February and March.

I contacted ES/Medco Customer Service by phone. After explaining the problem, the CS person simply reiterated that I could not refill the scripts until a future date. I pulled the sheets I received when the scripts were last filled and read her the refill dates on the 3 sheets. I asked her to check the last order for each of them. She told me she had no access to 2012 information and could not provide me with any reason why the refill dates had been changed. I asked to speak to a supervisor, the supervisor had no access to the 2012 files either. I read the refill dates from the sheets I had in hand. She questioned my information. After much discussion, she offered to place a written order for all 3 scripts.

Example: The paperwork that came with the last script for my wife’s Namenda indicated that it could be refilled on 1.10.13. When I got online, the information indicated that the Namenda script could not be filled until 3.5.13. Absolutely no explanation is offered by ES/Medco concerning this problem to date.

Her is another issue that will affect caretakers. I am POA for my wife, as she suffers from dementia. ES required me to complete a form in 2012 to verify my medical POA. Otherwise they would not be able to supply me with any information about my wife’s account (HIPPA). That document did not transfer to the new system in 2013. Thus, I am being sent another form to complete and return to them.

On 1.9.13 I contacted the grievance dept at ES/Medco to file a complaint. I was told they could not accept any grievance concerning 2012, because they had no access to those files. They could not direct me to anyone that could help me.

To date, no one I have been able to reach at ES/Medco can explain why any of this has happened. They cannot change the refill dates back to the ones listed on the paperwork I have in hand. I was told that I would need to call ES/Medco each time this problem occurs and they will hand order each script for me. Oh boy, I get to go through all of this aggravation of calling them to reorder the scripts for how many more refills? This is absurd! Does this whole scenario sound like something that would take place in a communistic country or what?

On 1.9.13 I talked with Greg Nickell and Sandra Knoesel at STRS. They are looking into these issues with ES/Medco.

In my opinion, ES/Medco, the company that STRS has contracted with for our Medicare Part D medications, is a monopoly that totally dictates what we must do to get our medications. Simply put, we are rats in an ever-changing maze. If a customer has a problem with a script, it is our problem, not theirs. In their minds, the customer is wrong until proven otherwise. If the BR chooses to go to their local pharmacy rather then deal with ES/Medco, they will pay far more for their scripts and be limited as to the number of pills that can be dispensed. ES/Medco will not permit a local pharmacy to fill many scripts for a 90-day quantity. What ES/Medco refers to, as Customer Service is an oxymoron. The merging of ES and Medco file systems this past October was disastrous. Their own employees were not able to access information for weeks. Now comes 2013 and the very same issues are at hand. It is my hope that this information will be of help to other BR and their caretakers. Working with ES/Medco for my wife and my prescriptions has been one of sheer stress and frustration.

STRS Board to meet January 16-17, 2013

Details here.

STRS Board to meet January 16-17, 2013

From STRS, January 9, 2013

PUBLIC MEETING NOTICE

The State Teachers Retirement Board and Committee meetings currently scheduled at the STRS Ohio offices, 275 East Broad Street, Columbus, Ohio 43215, are as follows:

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

...11 a.m. Disability Review Panel (Disability Reviews will be conducted in Executive Session)

Thursday, January 17, 2013

...9 a.m. Retirement Board Meeting

STRS asset value as of November 30, 2012

From Mario Iacone, January 8, 2013

(Click image to enlarge)

Mario Iacone: The greatest reasons to elect Dennis Leone to the STRS Board

From Mario Iacone, January 8, 2013

STRS BOARD ELECTIONS

GREATEST REASONS TO ELECT Dennis Leone to the STRS Board

EXPERTISE and GOOD JUDGEMENT!

In March of 2007, Dennis Leone Urged the STRS Board to Prepare for Significant Stock Market Downturn

(The following excerpt is taken from a report by Dennis Leone (STRS Board member 2005-2009) in March, 2007 and submitted to the Ohio Retired Teachers Association for publication in the ORTA QUARTERLY; ORTA refused to publish it, but his full report was published in this blog: http://kathiebracy.blogspot.com/2007/03/dennis-leone-strs-report-march-2007.html)

Among a number of items Dennis reported and discussed in his ORTA Quarterly report was "….I am hopeful my fellow board members will be agreeable to approving a contingency plan to minimize the negative impact of a significant stock market downturn…."

Dr. Leone was suggesting a contingency plan way ahead of the 2008-2009 Stock Market Decline, when STRS was worth approximately 80 Billion Dollars.

THE FUNDING PERIOD WAS AT 26.1 YEARS! After the stock market decline, the FUNDING PERIOD became INFINITY as STRS asset value spiraled down to approximately 47 Billion.

Had Dennis Leone's advice been taken, active and retired teachers would have been spared SUBSTANTIAL losses to their retirement benefits.

Note: This was also was the report in which Dr. Leone wrote how he was in disagreement with his fellow STRS Board members over the projected, unrealistic 4.0% payroll growth assumption (from active members) which STRS insisted on using at that time. Everyone else was fine with it…..but Dr. Leone was NOT.