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Medco - 30 Days Same As 90

Medco • 30 Days Same Price As 90 • Unilateral Cancellations • Prescription Delays • Wrong Prescription • General complaints --- News • Medco Settles Fraud, Kickback Charges for $155 Million • Judge Upbraids Medco • Pharmacy Benefit Managers Scrutinized • Medco Settles State Lawsuits

Chris of El Segundo CA (8/2/04):
I sent in a prescription for a glaucoma drug which I have to take for the rest of my life. The doctor prescribed 6 refills. My plan says that if I go thru Medco, I can get 90 days worth of this drug for $30. So, I tried to save money and do exactly that -- go thru Medco. But Medco sent me ONLY 15 DAYS OF THE MEDICATION FOR $30 -- the same price as the 90 day supply!

They said since my doctor did not explicitly write this on the prescription, they could only send me 15 days worth of the medication. THE PRESCRIPTION CLEARLY SAID 6 REFILLS, but that was not good enough for Medco. It had to explicitly say 90 days for them. Now, please tell me, why would anyone request a 15-day supply when they can get a 90-day supply for the same price? And Medco very well knows that this specific drug is the type an individual must take for the rest of his life. They had to know I would want a 90-day supply.

To add insult to injury, if I had gone thru a local pharmacy -- an option my plan offers, I would have only paid $10 for the 15-day supply according to my plan!

Brenda of Addison TX (7/29/04):
My company selected Medco as the sole provider of prescription drugs under the company's benefits package. I have never used a mail order service, so this was new to me. The program is very focused on persuading the buyer to purchase medication in larger quantities to pay lower costs if the prescription allows. I'm not sure how true that really is, because it appears that their quotes for buying less or from an external pharmacy were very "bloated".

My pocketbook is not flowing with money, so I decided to buy a 90-day supply of my medication. (It was a sacrifice at the time) I received the medication, but only received 30 days worth. I contacted customer service to see what the process would be to get the rest of what I paid for. They said that my prescription only allows for 30 days. I then returned a reply and asked "how much is it for the 30 days that I got?" They said it's the same as 90 days. I returned a reply and asked when I would be receiving a refund or the rest of my prescription. They said I would not get a refund or medication as it was not their error.

I've gone through my Human Resources Department for assistance and they are getting the same reply. I am angry that they are trying to get away with this. It's not an enormous amount of money, but it infuriates me to think that they get away with this from day to day. I have elderly parents and understand the struggles that older Americans have with fighting the system.

Stephanie of Fort Worth TX (7/21/04):
About a month ago I reordered a 3-month prescription online with Medco Health, as I have done for the past two years. A few days later I was called on the phone and told that I needed a new Rx from my doctor. So I made an appointment to get a new prescription. I mailed it to Medco, and they eventually sent me a one month supply, and charged me $75, which I have been paying for 3 months supply.

I investigated the problem and called them and they said the Dr. wrote a Rx for one month, with three refills. This is a technicality, as I read the Rx as meaning 9 pills X 3 refills, or three refills at a time. I even went to the Dr. today and he rewrote the prescription, wording it as 27 pills, or a 3 month supply. I called Medco back and asked if I could fax the new Rx and have the other 2 months filled. NO, they said, since it's not their fault. But I was charged the same price as if I bought 3 months!

"Well, can I get a refund since I'm not satisfied with this service?" I aasked. "NO," I was told. I would go to the neighborhood Walgreens if I wanted one month-- it'd be cheaper! I asked them aren't they a business? I can get a refund if I'm not satisfied with their service. No, I was told. As a consequence, I will be paying $75 for a one month supply of 9 pills, so that's about $8 a pill! I would have paid $30 at a retail pharmacy. I am a single woman with 2 jobs, so extra expenses are difficult.

Rick of Memphis (6/25/04):
I can see that several other people have had the same problem as we have just had with Medco. We just started the mail order for long term prescriptions and when it came in it was only enough for 30 days. After calling them and explaining what I thought was a problem, they told me that the prescription cost the same for 30 or 90 days. How is this saving me money? We could get the same thing for $10 before Cigna contracted with Medco.

Now we have to get another script, pay for the Doctors visit and another copay. Their whole excuse is that the script is a "legal" document and nothing can be done. I just want to know how they can get away with charging the same no matter the quantity. They must be making money hand over fist. Can you say Savings and Loan?

Mike of Atlanta (5/8/04):
Medco charged me for a 90-day supply of my medicine but only sent me a 30-day supply. When I called to ask why they told me my doctor made a mistake by not writing me a prescription for a 90-day supply. Instead the Dr wrote the script for a 30-day supply with 5 refills. Medco didn't bother to call the doctor or me to clarify...they only filled it for the 30 days and overcharged me by $60.

They refuse to credit me or to accept my return. They refused to admit they may the mistake and blamed me for not knowing how the system worked and blamed my Dr. They also pointed to the "fine print" on their website:

"The quantity and days supply above were used to calculate an estimated price. Please note that the actual quantity and/or days' supply may vary. Your doctor's instructions on how to take the medication, state and federal dispensing guidelines, or how the medication is packaged may impact the quantity and/or days' supply you can receive."

This doesn't say anything about them charging you for 90 days if the script of for 30 days. I'm frustrated with them and have nowhere to ask for help. I don't feel they should be allowed to take advantage of consumers this way.

Karin of Miami (4/9/04):
The company advertises that by using the home prescription you may save money since my copayment would be $50.00 copayment for brand for up to a 90-day supply. If I buy through a retail store I have to pay $25.00 copayment for brand and $10.00 for generic for up to 34-day supply.

Therefore, I go and mail my prenatal vitamins and my daughter's eye drops through the mail for a 90-day supply to save money (or break even) as advertised. Nowhere in the instructions did it say that the doctor had to write a 90-day supply instead of a 30-day supply. I mean that's what the refills are for.

Now they are charging me a 90-day supply home delivery for a 30-days supply. I called them to ask why I was being sent only one month supply instead of three and that is when Jodie told me that the reason was because the doctor wrote 30-day supply instead of 90. I said that is why the refills are there for and she said that that didn't count. I told her that the instructions weren't clear and that not only was I paying double now but that I also lost a week of medication waiting for the delivery.

If I knew that I was going to be charged double then I would have taken it to a local pharmacy and gotten my medication right away. She said no so I asked if I could pay the $25 and she said I had to pay the $50.00. I asked to speak to a supervisor and I was transferred to Vivian who said that she would make a note that their instructions in the website never stated that the doctors had to write a 90-day prescription instead `of 30 with refills and that I had to pay double whether I liked it or not.

I am 10 weeks pregnant (with possible miscarriage) and am not handling being stolen from and lied to very well. I don't have money so being cheated $100.00 is a lot to me. I mean they could have called and asked if I wanted to lose money that way or told the doctor that he had to write a prescription for 90 days instead of 30.

Isabel of Colorado Springs CO(3/26/04):
My doctor wrote a prescription for 1 pill 3X a day with 3 refills. I sent the prescription to Medco along with $80.00, the cost of 90 days supply. When I called them, I was told that the prescription had to be written for 300 pills (they come 100 per bottle). I explained that the script clearly shows I will be taking this medicine for at least 90 days, so there is no reason for this. Besides, why would I pay $80.00 a month for something when the same $80.00 would cover 3 months?

I was never notified by Medco before they shipped so I can correct it before I paid all that money. And after looking at their website the only thing they say is that you can get up to 90 days at once - Nowhere does it say how it has to be worded. I don't understand that problem - what difference does it make if the doctor says 100 tabs/3 refills or 300 tabs? I feel really ripped off.

They say my doc can send a new script but since it's a new one I would have to pay the $80.00 again. When I try to explain to several CS reps they seem to be deliberately dense. I am unemployed single mother with a disabled child. I can't afford to pay $80.00 again. If I did, any savings from home delivery would be lost and it would be costing me more than if I went to the pharmacy. As it is, I have multiple autoimmune disorders but I have to pick and choose what scripts I fill because of finances. I cant afford to get ripped off.

Jay of Columbia SC (11/15/03):
I mailed in 3 prescriptions for a 90-day supply. Even before they shipped it, I caught an error that one of the prescriptions was being filled for only a 30-day supply while I was being charged ($50) for a 90-day supply. The other two prescriptions were filled correctly for 90 days.

When I called them first, the customer rep investigated and apologized that there was an error in filling this prescription and I would get the remainder 60-day supply after the pharmacy confirmed with me on this prescription. On subsequent e-mails with the company, I have been given the runaround stating that the pharmacy has to 'research.' One excuse after the other. I am very concerned as I see on the web that this company is subject to a class action lawsuit of deliberately under-delivering quantities but overcharging based on higher quantities. I notice on this web site also that they did something similar to another customer.

Economic damage: Charged $50 for a 30-day supply when I should be getting a 90-day supply. Please note that a 30-day supply can be obtained for $23 in my retail pharmacy. Other damages: They are aggravating my medical condition by giving me a runaround from one customer rep to another.

Carol Ann of Fort Worth TX (10/13/03):
I submitted a doctor's prescription to Medco. Medco filled the prescription for a 30-day supply and charged a co-pay for a 90-day supply. When I called to refill the drug, I was told I would be billed again. I spoke with a representative who claimed that they could not fill a 90-day supply because the doctor had not written it that way but as a one-month supply with 5 refills.

I told him to cancel the order and return the prescription form to me. The representative said he would cancel the order. I was told to transfer the prescription the pharmacist would have to call Medco. Medco sent the drugs in spite of the cancellation request I had made. I returned the drugs to Medco. Another representative called me at work and attempted to sent the drugs to me again. When I told her that I did not want them, she told me I would have to pay for them anyway. When I refused to pay because I had cancelled,she threatened to ruin my credit history.

In attempting to transfer the prescription, the pharmacist was on the phone for 15 minutes before accessing a person who could not understand the request to transfer the prescription.

The ongoing incompetence, misinformation and bullying has greatly increased my blood pressure and stress levels which is what the medications are treating. At this time, I have not yet resolved Medco's bill and I am checking to see if I have been overcharged on other prescriptions.

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