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Medco - Prescription Delays

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

Joyce of Pound VA (7/18/04):
Ever since my Virginia Anthem/Blue Cross plan turned our prescriptions over to Medco Health, it has been a virtual nightmare for me. I seldom get any of my prescriptions on time, and suffer a severe hassle from Medco on every new prescription or refill. All I use is blood pressure medication, water pills, and synthroid. NONE of these drugs would sell well on the street corner, yet they imply every time that I'm trying to get extra medication, or trying to get it too soon. I actually believe they think I have a black market for water pills!

I've told them numerous times that I have had to do without medications 3-5 days. That's when they want to put me through to someone who will tell me the dangers of doing without medication. Do they really think I want to hear about the symptoms I'm already experiencing that THEY are causing? I sometimes feel as if they have targeted me, and are taking delight in torturing me.

To date, the worst identifiable problems I've experienced is the extreme anxiety they have caused me. I know, however, that with missing with the blood pressure medications, there is unseen damage. I once had to do without synthroid for nearly two weeks, and that brings on flu-like symptoms, and causes unseen damage to organs. The anxiety is severe. I fear every contact with them, because none have had good results. I have reached the point that I would almost rather do without medication than try to deal with them.

It is extremely depressing to look at a nearly empty pill bottle, and know I have to either try to reorder, or choose to do without. I never knew what depression was until I had to start dealing with them.

Barry of Cleveland TN (6/18/04):
My experience with Medco Health has been nothing short of a nightmare. I am an insulin-dependent diabetic as is my 15-year-old son. We both take 5 injections a day to control our blood glucose. I also have stage 3 CKD, therefore blood pressure and blood glucose control is critical. I am on 5 oral medications to control other aspects of my condition.

When I placed my first order with Medco it took over 6 weeks to receive all my meds. I went almost 2 weeks without my blood pressure meds due to the Gestapo pharmacy tactics employed by Medco. I chalked all this up to Medco and I “getting to know one another” so to speak. When it was time for refills my wife decided to use the website. The documentation we had said the drugs would arrive within 5 business days. When the order was placed the website indicated the drugs would arrive on June 9. My wife decided to pay $9 per prescription extra for express delivery. The website indicated this would change the delivery date to June 8. We received a confirmation number for all of this.

By June 9 nothing had arrived. When we contacted Medco they informed us our order would arrive on June 14 which was not acceptable to us, especially since we paid extra for express delivery. Following a heated discussion Medco agreed to “allow” us to obtain a 7 day supply of meds from a local pharmacy. We were promised the order would arrive on June 14. We were also told the charge for express delivery would be removed.

The following evening, June 10, we received a call from Medco. They wanted to inform us that mine and my son’s Lantus, a type of insulin, would be delivered on June 17 not the 14th as promised. Once again we told the caller this was unacceptable. After another lengthy discussion we were told the insulin would arrive on June 14. We also found out that the charges for the express shipping were still on our account. It’s June 18 and guess what? No insulin.

When we contacted Medco we were informed our order had been canceled. Let me reiterate what I just said: the order for the insulin that me and my son require in order to survive was arbitrarily cancelled by the pharmacy fuehrer in New Jersey. This is outrageous and will not be tolerated. If Medco is used to keep down health cost I assume they have a method for supplying me with a new kidney for free seeing that the medication I need to keep my present kidneys, such as they are, has been arbitrarily and capriciously denied.

Damage Resulting: Money and time lost. Damage to kidneys, eyes, heart, etc. for both me and my 15-year-old son.

Melissa of Shallowater TX (6/2/04):
On Tuesday May 25th, I put in a refill order for betaseron which is used to treat my multiple sclerosis. I had the order form from Medco Health which showed 3 remaining refills, a pink refill card and the number to call to order. I gave this information to the representative, Pamela, who at that time told me they did not have it in the computer that I had 3 refills left, but she found the pink card information so she was able to override the order. She informed me I would receive it no later than Wednesday June 2 and that she would correct the refill information on the prescription in their computer.

On Friday May 28th, I called Medco health and spoke with Dennis. I inquired on the status of my order; he informed me that it had gone through and that I would receive my medication on Wednesday at the very latest. I called Medco on Tuesday June 1 and spoke with Judy. I inquired again if my order had gone out as I had run out of medication. She advised me that I could receive it later on in the day or tomorrow.

I called today, Wednesday June 2, and spoke with Lacy who informed that my order had been cancelled last week and I had no refills remaining. When I corrected her on the events that had happened, she still refused to look further into the issue. I asked to speak with someone above her. She transferred me to Branden who advised me that my order was voided, I had no refills in the system, and that he processed it back through and it would be another week for it to be processed and as a courtesy they would ship it overnight. He also advised me that I could have my neurologist call in an emergency prescription to my local pharmacy. This would take 7 days to process and cost me $300 out-of-pocket. This is money I do not have.

I have spent a total of 5+ hours on the phone in the past two weeks on this issue and still I have no medication, the error of the refill number has not been corrected, they will not return my calls or follow-up, and they cannot give me an ETA on when I should receive my medication.

Without my medication my symptoms of MS have worsened which has caused me to miss work and be bedridden. I will also have to start at a lower dose if I ever receive it and taper up to a full dose suffering side effects from having prior withdrawal.

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