Express Scripts Reviews

We stopped using them. So now they continuously refuse coverage on prescriptions being filled by our local pharmacy. It takes multiple discouraging phone calls to get standard maintenance prescriptions filled for both myself and my husband. I need more blood pressure meds to fill my blood pressure meds! They continue to tell us we should use them. My husband decided to try again, but because of our 'past due balance', they want our credit card to keep on file. NO WAY!!!

2. I keep getting logged out from the Express Scripts website, another long-standing issue. The site is poorly designed and not user friendly. I have called several times and had to redescribe what I experience every time I call to my exasperation and anger. Not one person has solved this for me. I am near the end of my patience... or at the end. All in all, Express Scripts is a good idea poorly executed. And the maddening thing is, my insurance company mandates that I get my meds through them. Express Scripts must have a friend in Washington.

I hope this helps any new customers looking for a mail order prescription company! I have been using them for years and all this time they have been ripping me off!! I have proof!! Just google your prescription and compare for yourself!! They don't even make the list for the top companies on pricing because they are so overpriced, unless you have a set co-payment they can't fudge that price. Thank goodness but beware if you have a problem. Good luck!

Now I have to go double the distance to get my medication. I used to be able to walk to my local pharmacy. I do not own a car and my husband works shift work. I still do not have my meds because I cannot walk the distance to the post office. The convenience this mail order pharmacy is offering has now disappeared. It also takes away from my local pharmacy. I am not happy. My question is, Can the insurance carriers FORCE or DICTATE where we get our meds from? I think this is going against the Canadian Charter of Rights. This is my first time dealing with this pharmacy.

Updated on 07/07/2017: It has been 2 months that I have been fighting to get a prescription which required a pre-authorization. I have had my doctor submit a pre-auth 3 times already. Supposedly no one ever sees them or magically gets cancelled... How? Nobody knows... Finally get a pre-auth approved with phone calls to me from Express Scripts (Medco) telling me it is done but now Express Scripts doesn't see it approved but just "open". Why is it that I have to do all of this work where the Dr. and Express Scripts could have had this done in 2 days not 2 damn months?

There is also huge disconnect between all depts. which is probably by design. Why? In the 21st century with all this great technology but no one knows how to use it. I sure miss the old prescription on a small piece a paper just to hand over to my local pharmacy... I am just another complaint among the many already post prior to me. All showing the worse scores... Do they not care about it? And you wonder why people flip out and do things to others because of incompetence in this world.

Finally, at least 3 weeks later, Express sent me an email telling me it would not fill the prescription (prior approval for this had been approved). After emailing ES, the only response I got, was that it had been removed from the formulary. I knew this. That's why I proactively called them. Now being left with a 20 day supply, ES told me to find a Medicare part B vendor. I began the hunt. I got on Medicare.gov and found list of companies who were competitive bidders (Texas requires this). None of them supplied Omnipods. Thank God my doctor got involved and my Omnipod rep has been working on this. I do not know what these pods will cost me, so the issue is still up in the air. I would love Consumer Affairs point of view on this one. Express Scrips gets an F.

Prescription number 3, which was supposed to be sent with 1 and 2, was sent the next day. Prescription 4 they would not fill because it again was over the $500 limit. Again, I only found out about this because I called. I authorized payment again and reiterated that there was no need for this arbitrary limit on this account. When I told my husband that the prescription (which was $50 last year), would be $2042, he suggested I call and double check. So I called and asked. I found out FROM EXPRESS SCRIPTS that at retail, the cost was 6.08/pill, but that EXPRESS SCRIPTS it would be 7.56/pill, 25% more. I had been communicating with the "Presidential Escalation" hotline, but that did not yield any better level of service. She was unable to even process a credit to match the retail price. Why would ANYONE use this company? If I could give a ZERO star rating, I would.

Well a few days later I got an automated message advising my doctor was not returning their call for the refill and my medication would not be going out. I called and advised I was now going to run out of my medication and needed them to override the system and let me go to my pharmacy. They advised that my insurance would not allow this, and a manager could not override this either. I went the next day to my current PCP, got my labs done and they called in my script. I called to make sure Express Scripts got the information which they did, but the order was not to go out for a few days and my medication would be gone by then. I was told if my pharmacy called a number, I could get a few days worth of pills from my pharmacy. My pharmacy called the number given to me by ES and were told no I could not get my meds.

After yet another call by me to ES, I was informed I could get my pills for a few days, but it was out of pocket. Their customer service department is just completely clueless and provide incorrect information constantly. So now today, I finally got my meds, earlier than I was informed I would (and one day away from my meds running out, after I had already purchased 6 pills out of pocket to cover the time I was supposed to not have my pills), only to get a bill for approximately $75 more than I was informed it would cost. I called ES only to be told the dollar amount the first rep gave me was for generic (which I had specifically asked when I spoke with her). The co-pay card I had from the company who puts out my medication is not allowed to be used by mail order either, so I can't even get that discount.

I did not even get one apology from the representative for the incorrect information given to me. If I had any other choice, I would not use this company. Unfortunately I have no choice. I already told my husband during next open enrollment, we will be changing to another insurance that does not require mail order prescriptions.

I do have an email confirmation that was sent for a far less expensive medication, but somehow never received an email about the expensive medication. This is not coincidental but intentional. I contacted Express Scripts customer service and they stated medication already shipped so nothing they can do to resolve this issue. Their tactics are unethical and false documentation on their part is unacceptable. Dissatisfied with this company. Do not give your credit card information to this company. Pay by check only.

Once I completed the task Express Scripts Supervisor Bernadette told me I had to complete was done (get Premera Blue Cross to send them the correct end date for my medical coverage), I called Express Scripts back on 2/23/17 and after another painful 2 hours on the phone with Express Scripts Supervisor, Shenekia, I was told they would not correct the error. I am so disappointed in this company. I will NEVER use this company again and will inform everyone I know the same. They lost my business for good.

Of the four quantities listed they only had one they could ship. They do not carry the others, even though they are listed on the website. A week later, I get another EXPRESS SCRIPTS robo-call -- guess what -- they cannot fill the prescription --- "call your doctor". Instead of calling the doctor, I called EXPRESS SCRIPTS. They could not fill the prescription with the brand name drug. I checked my online account and they now stated I cancelled the name brand drug for the quantity I needed. A new line was listed showing a different quantity of a generic brand. They are trying to DICTATE that I need to take the generic brand (**). I did not ask or discuss with my doctor anything about the generic drug. This is the second time I have had an issue with EXPRESS SCRIPTS and their business practices. I do not recommend any person or company to use EXPRESS SCRIPTS based on my experiences.

So then I call to get my scripts transferred from CVS to Express Scripts to do their stupid mail ordered scripts, but because my current prescription wasn't for 90 days and only 30 days express scripts can't charge me the $80 they said it will cost me $140. I wonder where they pulled that price out of? This is a total ripoff and worst company ever. Nothing is easy and they have every stupid rule or reason to charge you more whenever they can.

On another occasion, Express Scripts sent me a 60 day prescription (2 boxes of **) and said it was the 90 day prescription, since that is what my doctor sent to them. This is completely, totally, wrong. I have always had the same prescription from my doctor (who I've used for over 6 years now) that equals one box per month (ie I should have received 3 boxes for the 90 day prescription). When my prescription arrived, I immediately saw an error on the dosage amount on the printed prescription, and the missing box and contacted them. This is clearly an error on Express Scripts' part, as my doctor would simply copy and send the same prescription I've always had.

I called Express Scripts TWICE today to find out how to correct their error, and was told (by incredibly rude 'customer service' representatives) that there was nothing they could to fix the prescription I received because it was already delivered (I received it this morning) and that any update my doctor sent to them - to correct THEIR mistake - would only count towards the new prescription fill date, in 90 days. Leaving me short a box of ** and paying nearly twice as much as simply getting a monthly prescription filled at CVS.

I cannot express how insane this is, and how they have a complete lack of customer service and take no accountability at all. My doctor would never send over an incorrect dosage on the prescription, as I have had the SAME prescription for over 15 years. This is clearly an error on their side, one which they refuse to correct.

We all know that the only purposes for using Express Scripts are 1) convenience and 2) to save money on co-pays. However, when you get charged for a 3 month supply, and only receive 2 - it is actually much cheaper to simply get your prescription filled at your local pharmacy. Stay away from Express Scripts. Your health is too important to risk by attempting to (sometimes) save a few dollars. I am reporting them to the Better Business Bureau as well. Do not use them. Trust the thousands of other negative reviews online.

I am on ** and wafer in which I is supplied by Express Scripts. In June 2016 my endocrinologist put me on **. At the time my blood pressure was 115/70. Express Scripts said no I could not have ** and needed **. By September 2016, my blood pressure was 170/90. In January 2017 my BP was 208/210. I could not figure it out. I had been hospitalized for congestive heart failure, pneumonia, kidney failure, and other things for 1 month. Later 2 hospitalizations. My local Walgreens was stealing prescriptions for ** and **. EXPRESS SCRIPTS, ACCREDO, AND WALGREENS ARE INCOMPETENT AND LIFE THREATENING.

I don't want autopay because I need to time things with my check. And like most of the other reviews on here, I agree that ALL of their customer service people need to get the chips off there should because it doesn't matter who you talk to, they ALL act like you are wasting their time by calling. If the company did their jobs correctly, we wouldn't have to call now would we? I hate this company, but like I said I have no other choice, so I'm stuck.

Original Review: Feb. 1, 2017

I beg of you, if this is the first time you are going to use Express Scripts, unless you are going to save some big dollars, go to CVS or Walgreens or Sam's Club. These people can mess up a free lunch and tell you that it was your fault. I always thought that if you had a prescription and it was in your plan they send it to you. This prior authorization is just a way to upset your Dr. and delay shipping your meds. I don't understand why they would want to delay. They aren't making any money that way. I am trying to write the denial review group but you know that will be a dead end. Good thing I don't need the meds and can wait the 90 days for the denial to expire and go to CVS.

I had a wonderful concierge for all of my prescriptions (regular and specialty) and he was given a promotion and suddenly no one in the entire ES/Accredo company can help me out. This company is going to kill someone by withholding medication or they are going to have a heart attack when they receive their prescription with a massive bill attached to it. My next step is to check the pricing on all of our medications that my family takes and price them out both locally and through this horrible joke of a company. I promise that it will save my family a ton of money to go get the meds filled locally without insurance!

Additionally, although both accounts are at ES, ES will not coordinate benefits for the co-payments. I have to pay out of pocket and then file a separate claim with Tricare for reimbursement. If I go to a retail pharmacy where they will coordinate benefits, but ES penalizes me and I can't secure a 90 day supply of meds and the cost is higher.

In a country where people are struggling to get medical coverage, I'm fortunate enough to have primary and secondary coverage due to my husband's 28 years of service to America in the Navy, yet I have to jump through hoops in order to get two simple prescriptions filled. Shame on the company I work for as well as the Department of Defense for using this pharmacy. Express Scripts is only about making money and do not care if patients receive the medications they need within a timely manner. This pharmacy is the worse and if you can avoid them, do so!!

On 1/20, they alerted me it has been shipped. And so, I waited, and waited, meanwhile running out of the medicine. On the 24th, I checked online, it stated my prescription had left a facility on the 21st, but they weren't sure where it was. I called. The recorded voice tells me my prescription could not be filled. The customer representative tells me it should arrive soon, maybe three to five days, and that I should contact my doctor for short term refill if I have run out. I am so sorry for all the other people out there that are in the same boat as me. Someone needs to investigate this company, as this is only the latest problem I have had. We should not be forced into using a pharmacy that has earned such a shoddy reputation!

I tried to get a straight answer by calling them, but all I got was double-speak. Ugh. They send your refills before you need them, so you either have to throw away good medicine or let the refills get old while you play catch-up finishing up the earlier supply. When I opted out of these auto refills, they canceled my prescription altogether and then made me get a new one for my doctor when I was ready for the refill. What was BCBS thinking when they signed on with this company?!!

I called CVS/Caremark and the rep there told me that what Kristina told me was not correct. She said that the Express Scripts pharmacist would need to call the Caremark pharmacist to transfer the prescription. She told me that Express Scripts commonly does this because "it is time consuming for the pharmacist to call and transfer so they often just say they don't do it". She told me that I would need to call Express Scripts back and insist that they do their job even if it is time consuming because they are the ones that possess the prescription to transfer.

A week later, I called Express Scripts and I got sweet Kristina again. Kristina still had the same annoyed and condescending tone when I explained what Caremark had told me about Express Scripts needing to have a pharmacist call to transfer the script. She said that they "don't make outbound calls" so I will just need to contact my doctor and get them to write a whole new prescription so they can send it to Caremark because. Funny, because they have made outbound calls to my doctor and myself in the past about prescriptions I was having filled by Express Scripts.

Since I am no longer ordering from them, suddenly they don't make any outbound calls. Clearly she was not going to assist me so that was that. Now I have to go through the motions of getting a whole new prescription because Express Script cannot be bothered to send my existing prescription to the new pharmacy as they are supposed to do. Long story short, if you need to use their customer service to accomplish things they are supposed to be taking care of, don't waste your time because they are awful.

Their lack of understanding, and ability to accept they may have made an error, were completely off-putting. I will not be using their services moving forward, as I do not want to have to follow-up with them every time my doctor sends a prescription, and I do not want to deal with their pompous "we are never at fault" attitudes should something happen again. While they may save you a buck, the added stress is not worth it. Most local pharmacies do refills for extended periods of time nowadays, so that is your better bet, plus you do not have to wait for it to "hopefully, cross-your-fingers" arrive in the mail. This company should be very ashamed of the way they speak to customers who are concerned about receiving their medications, and quite obviously needs to take some lessons in compassion and understanding. They do work with people, after all.

In Sept when we tried to order the drug the system could not verify her without a DEA number which became problem #1. Next it could not refill the drugs even though the original script is good for 1 yr because it had been longer than 3 months since the last order. Eventually I got to a customer service Manager and he asked me to have my Doctor call him to verify herself. He would not accept her NPI or MD license number etc. So during my Doctors visit in October 17, 2016 she called him. He asked her why no DEA license. She explained "I chose not to renew" etc. The Manager Tony puts her on hold for a moment. In fact 8 minutes of my 15 min visit while he researches something. She is dumbfounded by now as am I. Then he returns only to ask her to fax to his expedited fax a new script signed with her credentials on it so he can process it.

For 2 hrs office staff try faxing to their fax and the Doc office fax. Keeps advising them that the Fax at Express Script is a code 1) Hang up or not working... I take all of the fax attempts reports and I go home and I write the CEO of Pfizer Mr. Ian Read and I share about my story asking for assistance. I get no response from him but I get a letter in the mail from Pfizer Pt Assistance program inviting me to re apply. I'm advised that due to my Cancer and HIV Status and my level of wellness as well as the doctors office is 50 miles from my home I'm eligible for home delivery. Great. I try calling Tony the Express Script Manager to no avail.

Eventually I get a new Manager Patty. She locates my pt number in system uncertain how I was placed on home delivery without a script but says she needs a script signed by doctor. Hopkins these days is electronic everything including scripts. Express scripts is still using snail mail. They will not give you their last name or email and you're lucky if you get a working phone number. I expressed my frustration at their system. Once again back to my doctors office and the Doctors office NP/RN faxed the info to Ms. Patty at what she claimed was an expedited fax number where she can get the fax from.

She claims she received medical info like drug name and dosage but no signed old fashioned script with doctors address etc on it. I called her to find out after another week what the hold up was. I was advised she had called the Doctors office Nurse Rita but just got a voice mail 2x. She says she left message. She says she tried 2 other number one which was main switchboard at Hopkins and the other was endocrinology not even related to my case or docs. So I sent email to my doctor and the Nurse and was advised that the info needed had been sent and Patty had called to verify it was okay.

Now in a call with Patty. I'm told she made a mistake. It was not okay as it wasn't signed by the doctor and was a old fashioned prescription. I contact the doctor who by now is livid and she says she truly believes these programs don't want to help. They just want to stall you from getting the medication. She's already called them, tried faxing them and done all they asked. So I call Patty again... She tells me she needs a old fashioned script that the electronic medical info sent to her anyone can do and it wasn't signed! I share with her Hopkins is electronic. You know signatures and orders are all electronic and verified in the system. Doesn't matter. For federal regulation for home delivery they need a script.

Okay back to the Nurse Rita. Now she upset. She says she's contacted them and all was okay and she done with this. Okay so now my providers are upset with me. Next I receive in mail a new application which includes a doctors script in it and I'm told they need to have it back by Dec 15 in order for me to continue in the program in 2017! Well I haven't still be able to get this drug now since April 2016 because of all this nonsense. So I fill it out, get copies on SSDI letter for income proof, get the doctor to complete her portion including the script on their application sign and date. I call Patty. She gives me her name and address, asked me to mail it to her as well as now I have to get doc to send a letter as to why I should be on home delivery for 2017. I never made it on 2016!

I call, advise I've sent and faxed everything to requested places and let's get ball rolling here. Finally in Dec 20 I received a voice message... "Still don't have a script for you from doctor have everything else. I'm going away on holidays back in new year. If you still need help call Joan co manager at this number." I can't imagine leaving pt hanging in the air like this! So Dec 29, 2016 I call Joan. Again all voice message. Rarely does a manager pick up. I come to learn they receive 10,000 faxes in short time and things are swamped. But this has been going on for sometime now as Patty told me same thing. So Joan calls me back. Patty failed to tell her or leave her file or paperwork so she locates it. Tells me she has it all but needs a script. I think I lost it.

I share that I'm a Nurse and never in my life have I ever had to deal with such insanity. She cannot accept the application script the doctor signed. She claims because it's home delivery it's consider for federal regulations distribution of a drug and they need a separate script. OMG what next? But by now someone had processed my application as Doctor delivery and mailed the meds to doctors office which she was trying to locate and stop!

So meanwhile I had been working with my doctor and she handmade me an old fashioned prescription signed Dec 30. Jan 3 call to Joan. Still needs script. I advise that I have it in my hands. How can I get this one to her without them losing it? She tells me to fax it to her same fax number 10,000 others use, they are very busy. So many people enrolled last minute Medicare Part D and they can't keep up. I advise her not to stop prescription headed to doc office. I will call them and get them to hold it for me till I can get there. So I call doctors office and email doctor to advise them "please hold package labeled for my doctor. Really it's for me till I can get there maybe next week". Joan can't tell me delivery date as FedEx hasn't updated her system yet. She just knows drug left out on Dec 30. She'll call me back.

Next I raised the concern for 2017. How will we get renewal sent? She said "have doc call our EVS system, enter her DEA number and order med." "Ah you seem to forget that doesn't work. She has no DEA # and if I don't need the drug in 3 months will that also be an issue?" No answer. I suggest that they need some QI done addressing the issue of how does a doctor reorder a med in system if they don't have a DEA # to verify themselves? As well as when one doesn't order the med in 3 months the system shouldn't kick one out and cause them to have to reapply if the orders are good for 12 months with refills ordered etc. They send 90days of drug at a time so in effect one should get a one year supply every 3 mths. So Now I'm advised to call her and she'll help me in future.

Jan 4, 2017 I call to verify she received my fax of the doctors prescription faxed to her Jan 3, 2017 as I now have the original in my hand! Yes she received it, all should be okay now but she can't locate the drug sent out on Dec 30, 2016 as FedEx has not updated her system. She'll have to get back to me... Wow I'm outta breath. I'm tired of hearing "I'm sooo so sorry, were sooo sooo busy." Luckily this drug was one for my heart or I would've been dead by now!

Express Scripts really needs to get itself into the 21st century and is this customer service? Pfizer really needs to look as well at their selection of a pharmacy benefit manager unless their intent in these pt assistance program is to look as though they intend to offer the drug and help but in reality they want to save money but having so many doors put in front of the patient that one just gives up!

Jan 4, 2017 I've spent 4 months trying to get my drug. I've put in all paper work. My doctor and her nurse are not too happy with me. They will never refer a pt to this program again. And I still have no drug and Express Scripts is still not sure where it is in the shipping process? Here I sit sharing my concern with others hoping perhaps others can realize they have not lost their mind in trying to work with Express Scripts.

Follow up few days after. Online support "prices are subject to change" - I said "yes, but I priced it again today. It's still listed as $0.00." Customer support says "prices are subject to change" - I reply less pleasantly "it is still listed as $0.00, it didn't change." They'll submit a complaint on my behalf. Website still lists copay as $0.00, which seems to mean their site is inaccurate - OK, fine. Don't honor it like many places would, but screwing around telling me I don't know how to price a medication and your site is still inaccurate weeks after I brought this to their attention - this is unacceptable. "Surprise! You owe $50 even though you did everything right and we told you $0, and we won't fix the pricing tool" Go somewhere else if you can.

When needing refill, doctor ordered 225 mg to take 1 pill a day instead of 2. Get an email to "discuss payment"... 225 mg pill is over $700.00 for 90 days... How is that possible when the 75 & 175 together were $64.00? Was told the 225's come from a different company from one rep and "maybe I've been paying the wrong amount" for the 75/175 from another rep. So I tell them not to fill the 225 & asked specifically if the price will be the same if I go back to the 2 pills, 75/175. Was assured the price would be the same.

Guess what? The 75/175 are now over $600.00! How can someone afford that? I chose to stop refill on all of them, weaned myself (with doctors knowledge) off them. I was out of work for 6 days after I took my last pill... basically withdrawal symptoms. Now I am taking a mild anti anxiety medication and the bottle had 1 refill left and I could not get an answer why the website would not allow me to refill. Finally was told I was past the 6 months on a controlled substance & needed a new prescription.

New prescription called in on 12/09/16 and had message they are waiting for a response from the doctor. I called the doctor and they told me they had no call, email or fax from Express Scripts. I called to question what they needed from my doctor and was on hold for 5 minutes until rep spoke to pharmacist. I don't even understand what she told me the pharmacist said but she went silent when I told her my doctor had had no contact with them and I now have a new message on the website that the order was being reviewed for a refill/delivery date. Today I have an email that I am scheduled to ship on 12/15/16. Last time it took 12 days to ship. I'll be out of meds before they get here. Over a week to get a prescription filled attempting online, phone, email. This company is terrible. Sad that I have no other option. I'd much prefer my local pharmacy.

The day I was supposed to receive my next shipment came & went, so did 6 more days. The pain was unbearable & I ended up going to E.R. crying uncontrollably. The E.R. Dr. had pity on me & prescribed 10 days' worth of ** at the amount my Dr. prescribed - 1.5 tabs every 8 hours, plus a dose of ** that night. That visit cost 375.00 plus 32.50 for the ten days worth because E.S. had already put my prescription with them in the computer as having been filled already! Even though I pay more by about $5 at the pharmacy, I'm sticking with the pharmacy! No more Express Scripts by Mail for me. Read the reviews. They are eye-opening.

I got one call today saying my prescription was being shipped followed 5 minutes later by a call saying it couldn't be shipped. No one wants to take responsibility for all these issues. They always blame the doctor. I never had issues with my medication when I used the local CVS and Arcadia for my specialty medication. Congress, FIX THIS!!! We are being given inferior product and service. These people do nothing but raise our blood pressure trying to resolve their incompetence. In the meantime, they are endangering our health.

I called Express Script to ask when the medication would be ready. I was told it takes 2 day to process and another day to mail. I informed the representative that I needed the medication sooner than 3 days and if I could transfer the prescription to my pharmacy. Express Script representative informed me that I would have to pay $21 to have the meds expedited in 3 days. I informed her that I needed the medication in 1 day. The rep gave me an 800 number to give to the pharmacist to make the change.

The pharmacist called 3 times and could not get through. He stated that other clients are having a difficult time getting their medication. I once again called Express Script and was told by another representative that the pharmacist needed to be patient. At 6:30 the pharmacy called stating they were not able to contact Express Script. I called Express Script again and was now told to have the pharmacy call the physician directly and get a new prescription. Express Script representatives all have different solutions all of which can cause a health problem to the clients. Express Scripts has too much control over a person's medical care since their only interest is profit, not care or treatment, we all lose. Their control over every facet of medical treatment is detrimental to every patient/subscriber.

Today, I get this ridiculous letter saying the daily dose was denied because I don't have 4 long-worded medical issues, that THEY say I need to get the daily dose. I do not understand how my insurance company that “says” they are proud to serve TRICARE beneficiaries can say I can't have this medication AS PRESCRIBED BY MY DOCTOR. Why did it take 2 months to determine this? Why were there 3 separate issues that weren't discovered at one time? Why does my insurance company override what my doctor prescribes?

Original Review: Dec. 5, 2016

My doctor faxed over a refill prescription to Express Scripts for medication and forgot to check the box 'fill as requested'. I was sent a medication that I had severe side effects from. When I asked Express Scripts why they switched the medication, they told me the doctor did not check the box which would indicate to fill as requested and they substituted a generic medicine because of this. Now I I have 3 months worth of medications that I cannot use and have to pay $108.14 in addition to the payment for the correct medication that I had to order today. They should let the customer know if they are switching medications to a generic by calling. Everyone cannot take generic brands of medicine. Is there anything that can be done? Thank you.

I am going to continue to pursue the least expensive solution. Already using BLINK app for one Rx instead of dealing with pre-authorizations. Someone needs to investigate this company for the way they conduct their business. Are the employers who are hiring Express Scripts to manage their plans really considering the hassles they are creating for their employees and families? Think of the hours at work employees are spending dealing with Express Scripts. May not be such a bargain after all.

So my physician's office told me it may have to do with my insurance, Medical Mutual, as to why they had a hold but THEY HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE. So I called my insurance company to be transferred to a department called EXPRESS SCRIPTS. The man on the phone said I had to call and authorize it because it's so far away from where I originally go and that the pharmacist just had to call this 800 number which is a pharmacist helpline to give my information and override the hold. I said fine. By this time, I had been going back and forth for an hour and a half. Give the number to the pharmacist inside and he said "no problem I'll call" and he was on the phone for 20 minutes and was transferred 3 times to be told he still couldn't fill it and was given no reason why.

So I call Express Scripts again, and get a hold of the supervisor who informed me that I was given wrong information and that the "official" answer was the hold was in place for the patient's well-being and overall health of the patient. But isn't a patient having access to their prescriptions in their best interest? So after that he told me the only thing I could do was submit in writing that I want the hold lifted from my account and that I have to come out of pocket for my medication and that I would have to submit in writing again, that I want a reimbursement for my prescription. THE WORST COMPANY I HAVE EVER DEALT WITH.

Express Scripts newest delay tactic is now that the prescriptions must be VERIFIED because they were issued by a NP. Verify what? I could take any of the prescriptions to any pharmacy and have each filled as in NJ and NP is licensed to perform this task (which is what we have been doing for the last 2 years). Yet, the same prescriptions which Express Scripts has sent us letters about to use their service is now declined citing their own internal policy. I did not receive any notice from Express Scripts so I checked the online status then called their customer service. What a monumental waste of time and energy. This company has now interfered with my medical treatment due to these delays.

It's clear to me that Express Scripts has control of not only the medications provided to increase their profits but has now created 'law' regarding who prescribes the medication. If the Consumer Affairs department for the state of New Jersey has determined that a licensed NP is provided the legal responsibility to prescribe medication - who is Express Scripts to refuse this action??? Their logic is so illogical that the only real reason for the delay has to be money. Express Scripts has too much control over a person's medical care since their only interest is profit margin, not care or treatment, we all lose. I believe it is time to initiate a class action lawsuit, against Express Scripts since their control over every facet of medical treatment is detrimental to every patient/subscriber.

Hate the fact that you find a great pharmacy (or finding a great doctor) then they are not covered anymore. More worried about their own greed and what government gives them than caring about their clients needs. Then on top of that Express Scripts is a crap shoot on what is covered and not covered. I previously had Caremark. Now that was great coverage. Wished my company would go back to Caremark. Thanks Obama-Care and that stupidity. Maybe Express Scripts should go look at #1 companies and take some lessons.

Original Review: Nov. 17, 2016

My insurance uses this company and my doctor has prescribed me a 90-day supply of ** to help me deal with my depression. I get a letter in the mail about a week ago where they are telling me that they will only now cover a 60-day supply and leave me on the hook for the remainder of my prescription. The letter said it was to "save me money". Having to spend over $50 dollars extra to fill my prescription is not saving me money. I just got done calling my doctor's office because the letter said that a doctor can call and authorize coverage of the 90-day supply. I'm going to make sure I have the letter on hand as well in case anything else comes of this. It's unbelievable. Saving me money? HA! They are saving themselves money.

The first issue I had was that ** wiped out my bank account on a Friday afternoon leaving me and my son with no money for food or gas for several days. I even had a $30 overdraft charge because of them (Thanks!!!). The last time, they sent my meds with less than the 90 day supplies. One ran out 2 weeks before the other and I take them at the same time every single day.

Whenever I have to call with a problem, my heart rate increases dramatically and I feel like I'm going to throw up. At this point, just dealing with ** is a health hazard. My advice to anyone searching for insurance or a mail order pharmacy is to run screaming in the other direction if anyone mentions Express Scripts or Medco. They have no concept of customer service. They are only out for your money and they couldn't give a smaller ** about you or your health. Your health WILL suffer if you use Express Scripts.

My first concern is that I question whether an insurance company should be making medical decisions rather than my own doctor. I also question the medical treatment validity of an insurance suggestion that I try a front-line first then go through a process for getting prior authorization for the back-up drug, should it be determined that after trying the less expensive drug that it doesn't work.

While my medical condition requiring this medication at the current time is not severe or life-threatening, I do wonder what would happen to me should I have a severe medical condition and the level of care that I would receive through Express Scripts. I am also concerned that it took two weeks to get a response to this issue from Express Scripts. Two weeks can be a critical length of time for serious medical conditions. My recent experience with Express Scripts has been highly unsatisfactory.

Original Review: Nov. 12, 2016

I get e-mail updates on my prescriptions & then I check on their website & then end up calling someone in customer service. All 3 will tell me something different. So I usually have to speak to a supervisor who then tells me something else & has to apologize for getting all the incorrect information, including the rep I just spoke with who they will have to make sure he/she knows better for the next person. Now having so many issues with not getting my medication on time & having to contact the company day after day for weeks on multiple situations, I've built up a huge file on them. I don't know what has happened within around the last year because they used to be extremely reliable & competent. There was no such thing as going through person after person, every day for over a week just trying to get something resolved & sometimes even longer but it's ME who has to chase everyone & go back & forth to get anything done!

The reality is Express Scripts wants you, the consumer, to only take cheap generics because of the profit margin. Try to get the real drug, however, and they cancel the order, lie to you when you try to get it resolved, and then call your doctor, or worse, wait for your doctor to call them, and convince him/her that you, the consumer, should take the generic version. To this I say WTH. If I am paying for a medication that is proven ineffective as generic, then I want the real thing and Express Scripts be damned for your subterfuge, BS and poor, poor, poor customer service. We, the customers, need to question, protest and stop these giant profit makers from controlling our therapeutic outcomes because of the almighty sin called greed.

When I called the other pharmacy they said, "Sorry, no, we would still have to go through Express Scripts." So we will no longer fill the prescription since they have issues with Express Scripts. What is the recourse with the insurance companies that will not allow you to file any complaints, try and get anything changed? How can they change in mid-contract what they were covering and how/who they were allowing to fill prescriptions?

I need to find a way to dispose of them safely. I need to wait weeks for a correction. I stopped relying on automatic refills or on having the doctor call in prescription orders verbally because they get messed up more times than not. I have resorted to getting a written prescription that I mail in physically along with an onerous form I need to fill in. This way I can photocopy exactly what the orders are. You would think this would fix the issue, right? Wrong. I am dealing with a situation now where I mailed in an order and have a photocopy of the order. I know what it says. Express Scripts has bungled this order now for two full weeks, with no resolution. Their automated system called me on 10/19. I called them the next day. They wanted to tell me that there was not a generic available and needed to know if filling the brand name was ok. I don't know why this was needed since my order form already specified that.

After a half hour on the phone, I was told it was resolved and the order would be filled. So I wait. A week later, still no medication. I call. I'm told it's still in processing and will be filled soon. So I wait some more. 10/31 comes around and I get an automated message that there is a problem with the order and I need to call them. I go online and see that the order is cancelled. I call them back. They tell me they couldn't fill the order because there was no generic available so they cancelled it since it had been with them for more than 10 days. I spend an hour on the phone. They tell me they can get me the medication... but only for 30 days because that was what the prescription says. I have a copy saying 90 days. 30 days was a prior prescription.

After much back and forth, I tell them to just fill the 30 days and I will get a new 90 day order from the doctor for the next time... but that I wanted it expedited and shipped to me overnight as I'm running out of the medication now and they have delayed this for 2 weeks. I hold. I wait. I'm told they can do this. It will cost me $21 for shipping. I fight it and push for them to waive the charge. After an hour, we are set. I'm getting 30 days worth shipped to me express free of charge. Blood can stop boiling now perhaps. 15 minutes later, I get an automated call telling me I need to contact them about the order before they can fill it because a generic is unavailable. My blood pressure is rising to the point I can't bring myself to call. Some poorly trained CSR will just get my wrath and I don't want to ruin their day.

So I go online and fill in an email through their portal putting everything in writing and giving them express written consent to dispense the brand name as already requested and that I was aware of the medication cost and willing to pay it. I requested that if there were any ongoing issues to have a supervisor call me directly rather than having automated calls made. I hear nothing besides an automated acknowledgment. Today Nov 1 I get a call on my cell phone. It's the automated Express Scripts messaging system to alert me my order cannot be processed. I hit all the prompts to get to a representative. She wants to know how she can help. I tell her I got a call from them so I need to know from her why they are calling. I wait. She checks the system and comes back to let me know she wanted to confirm if I wanted 30 days supply or if I wanted them to call the doctor to increase it to 90 days.

She tells me the order has been placed on hold in the meantime. Knowing all my prior experiences I tell her I just want the 30 days. She needs to confirm that with the pharmacist. I wait on hold. She comes back 4 or 5 times over a 30 minute period... she is still waiting and so she says she will notate my file to re-open the order for 30 days supply and then a pharmacist will need to confirm with me before they fill the order. I feel like I am in the TWILIGHT ZONE. I have never ever had a worse experience dealing with a company in my life.

The member representatives are poorly trained and have no decision making authority. The pharmacists will NEVER get on the phone with you directly. Supervisors must be mythical because they never will speak to you either. You can explicitly request one verbally or in writing, and you get nothing. I am held hostage to the plan because it is what my Employer offers. Otherwise I would have stopped working with this carrier a long time ago! I empathize with others getting the same type of stress added to their lives.

We can't afford the $500+ per month to buy the name brand on our own so what are we supposed to do? Express Scripts can't or won't answer this. His doctor was sympathetic but he's done all he can do. If we can't remedy this our next steps will be to contact the VA, Senators and Congressmen and the media. This is absolutely not right. I understand that they need to save money by using generics. My family is on many generics. But this particular one does not work. How is this good medical care?

No interest was shown however in addressing the practice contained in the letter-- which only serves to complicate life for the insured and the prescribing physician-- raising the overall complexity and cost of the medical coverage, while only beefing up their bottom line. Not much else to expect, I guess, in the current system.

Original Review: Oct. 29, 2016

If ever there was a good argument for nationalized health coverage, Express Scripts is it. Today's outrage: a letter from the company, regarding a prescription I'm not currently taking (**), demanding that I contact my doctor to contact them to get permission to continue a health-critical prescription. (It would be critical were I still taking it-- I am on another, comparable drug at the moment.) Rationale, explanation? Hah! They are the Company. Their concern is not and never has been my health or well-being-- only their profit-making. I remember the ads against nationalized health care and the "death panels" and such. It's not the government creating death panels-- it is private interests like Express Scripts, manipulating people's well-being for the sake of their corporate interests. If my insurance company gave me a choice, I'd have nothing to do with this firm.

What a rip off President OBAMA did to us all with 'mail order' pharmacy like Express Scripts. My RA meds, I don't get them on time, or enough to keep my RA under control. I call back and find the order has been delayed or postponed... even though I didn't get told. They tell me an order is on the way, when it doesn't arrive... they then tell me it was delayed due to ** reasons. It's criminal this Express Scripts. Can a business be charged with felony FRAUD?? All the delays, lost scripts, and late medications requiring many phone calls on the victim/patients part to resolve is on purpose!

And, just like the VA... patients are going to die because of this company. They even send out medications which require temperature control... in regular containers... ignoring label guidance! "IT'S TOO EXPENSIVE", per one agent... they might have to drop the med from the program. Again, someone is going to become very ill or worse if the company does not correct their activities.

Trying to get a hold of an actual person is also a joke! Unfortunately for us this is who our provider uses but fortunately we can use Walmart or any other place as well so I will no longer do any business with this company! Husband's card and mine and they said we were all set. That was over three months ago and we just got a letter from a collection agency saying we owe $208. I called the company today and they said it was their mistake and they would take care of it!

Original Review: Oct. 15, 2016

Last month on 9/21 I was trying to pick up my medication which is a controlled substance that I have been prescribed for going on 8yrs and it's been changed periodically from one form to another as my diagnosis is degenerative spinal/cervical and is now and has been making my fingers on left hand bent and crooked as well as swelling. Not to mention the pain is progressive with each joint where this morning I cried bc of the pain. Express Scripts has given me nothing but trouble for having the audacity of picking my medicine in 28 days as opposed to 30 regardless if there is an extra day in the month etc. I gave up trying to explain to the CSRs that I've ALWAYS done this the last 3yrs as I'm in Louisville KY and my family is in Michigan where my big sister and little brother reside. My sister has COPD and has become in all interest and purpose's an alcoholic. I drive 5 hrs one way to help her as best I can.

When I leave her house I generally will drive another 3 hrs to spend time with my little brother who is a Manic Depressive and now has 3 stents, Type II Diabetes and a litany of health issues and I try to help him if I can as my chronic pain is through the roof after the drive to them both then turn around and drive back to my home in Louisville KY. I'm digressing after I went through 3 CSRs, I ask for a Supervisor who basically called me a liar and that by their count of my pain med for the whole month of October!? I didn't know what the hell she was talking about!?

Fast forward three weeks and my pain dr. had apparently been contacted by them to see what I did with 2 prescriptions where she had changed me from one with ** to one without it because when she changed it back in MARCH (this was yesterday) I had obtained 2 refills which were DIFFERENT!? Fortunately, I have a good rapport with my pain doctor and she explained if that were ever to happen again just to bring in the older prescription to them and as I told her, I NEVER knew this 1. Because I didn't know that and 2. I didn't even remember it honestly. So this Supervisor thought she was going to get me into some kind of trouble like retribution!? Going forward, I am spending the cost of $158 until January 1st where I have canceled Express Scripts during Medicare Open Enrollment!

Updated on 12/12/06: Follow up! Responded to the company at their request and gave them my information. I would be very careful if you review Express Scripts and they ask for your information. I didn't think their service could get worst but after giving them my information it is my belief they retaliated against my bad review. I used to get some of my prescriptions on time now it is a battle to get anything.

My doctor is fed up sending in multiple prescriptions to both Express Scripts and my local pharmacy because Express Scripts can never get my prescriptions to me on time. When they do arrive they are usually not the correct amount. Was so hopeful last week received my refrigerated insulin on time! Open up the box to find a 18 day supply? DR. called in a 90 day supply. So today the battle begins to get the rest shipped before I run out. I had to go 3 days without insulin on the last shipment! Told me it was arriving on a Friday after numerous calls! Never showed up until the following Tuesday. Can't call the DR. on Sat to get local pharmacy to cover E.S. screw up! I wish our company would change insurance plans but for now we are locked into Express Scripts through a group plan with BC/BS. Going to try to find the time to explore any legal or official channels to file a real complaint!

When Express Scripts finds ways to short your meds it saves them money---they don't refund premiums for their failures to perform---it just saves them the cost of purchasing the pills to send to you. Multiply that by thousands of policy holders and you're talking about some real money. It does no good to talk with them, you hang up thinking everything is fixed but nothing changes. Don't blame it on my doctor either. They jumped through all of your hoops so many times and nothing changed. I feel very guilty for sticking them with the burden of Express Scripts. I wish some lawyer would look into this, nothing else seems to work with them.

Numerous calls to them gets me very nice people who will "fix this right now." It just doesn't happen. The other day, one of these nice ladies told me, "If you could get ** at no cost to you, would you like to order more now?" Sure! 2 weeks later, a $250 invoice arrives. "Sorry drug prices cannot be calculated until after the order is shipped" In the process of making this rant, I tried to get the order number, but the Not-Express-Scripts website, despite advertising 3 years of past orders, refused to go back more than 6 months. Dear Blue Cross Blue Shield: dump these **.

Today, I was trying to refill my Bayer Contour test strips. The Bayer Contour talks to my insulin pump so that meter is ideal for me. I was shocked to learn that Express Scripts only covers one brand now, the One Touch brand. All others are no longer covered. This is scary as I can see this only getting worse and all of our choices will be taken away. I am going to make sure that I write to my company's benefits department and lodge a complaint. Hopefully, if they receive enough, Express Scripts may be replaced.

Original Review: Sept. 30, 2016

Express Scripts is the worst. I'm being forced to use this mail order pharmacy by my insurance company. I'm on several pain meds due to a serious car accident. I overnight mailed my scripts to Express Scripts so I could get them filled ASAP. So they get my scripts and give me a ship date of 10/05/2016. I call them and ask them if they can express ship my meds to me as I'm already out of one of my meds and soon to be out of another. It shows on my dashboard in the Express Scripts page that they have my scripts, yet I'm being told that it'll take 2 to 5 days to process the script. How is this possible? You have the scripts and you have an estimated ship date of 10/5, so again I ask customer service if I can get the scripts expedited so I don't have to go without all my meds. Their response is, "Go to your doctor and get a script for a minimum fill until we can process and mail your scripts".

My doctor isn't going to write another script after writing a script for a 90 day supply of my medicine. So I ask to speak to a supervisor, maybe they could help and expedite the process. Yeah well she was no help at all. The worst part is finding out after receiving letters from Express Scripts that I could only fill my scripts at my local pharmacy 3 times and after that they wouldn't pay and I'd have to pay full retail price for my scripts. One of my scripts is $1600 a month, so anyway after fighting with this woman to try and get my meds expedited she informs me that, "Oh, I see these are controlled substance meditations. Yeah you don't have to use our service for a controlled substance, you can have them filled at your local pharmacy".

Ok 1st Why did I receive a letter via mail and via email stating that I could only fill my scripts at my local pharmacy 3 times and you pay for them but after that I'd have to pay full retail price if a controlled substance medication doesn't have to be filled via your mail order pharmacy? I'm sure they seen that my meds were a controlled substance when they paid for them when I filled them last month. So here I go without 1 medication and soon to be without another because this pharmacy only cares about their bottom line and their profit over their customers needs and health.

So in conclusion I paid $25 to overnight my scripts to this company in the hopes of getting my scripts filled and returned to me ASAP but all I done was waste my money overnight shipping the scripts because I'm still going to have to wait and end up running out of all my meds before Express Scripts will process and mail me my medications. I don't understand how they can say it takes 2 to 5 days to process a script. I go to my local pharmacy drop off the script and within 20 minutes my scripts are filled and I'm on my way. Express Scripts, piece of advice for you, take your customers health seriously NO MATTER what the problem. You shouldn't make people wait so long for medications, especially when they've ask for express shipping and are willing to pay for it.

I expressed my concern and let the call center representative that it was upsetting for that I had been assured that it was coming and he proceeded to tell me that he was older than me and knew more about the situation... He then hung up on me. This is just one of many examples that I have of their poor customer service. This is the worst company and I'm forced to go through them. If you can avoid them do so at all cost. I will be calling my insurance provider to see if I can go elsewhere. I cannot express enough how unpleasant each experience with them has been.

This isn't the first time this has happened. I must have been given five excuses for my prescription not being ready and not being able to ship. They even told me I should count my pills since it is done by a machine and I may not be getting the correct amount when I receive them. I think it is sad that I am forced to use this company. If you can avoid using this company then I highly recommend you don't use them. They always claim they will do things for you, but they don't. Ever since they changed their name from Medco to Express Scripts the company has gone downhill.

When it became necessary to order through Express Scripts, I was forced to order my thyroid medication and not having received it about two weeks later, I called Express Scripts only to be told that they did not send it because they simply did not have it. Thyroid medication cannot be discontinued at will so it really would have been nice of them to advise me that I needed to fill my prescription somewhere else but they made no such effort at what I think would not only be a trivial courtesy but could save their patient from perhaps becoming very ill. My employer received so many complaints that they had United Healthcare discontinue the use of Express Scripts.

Now that I am retired, my health insurance is through my husband and they require that we order via Express Scripts, however this was not explained to me and I continued to fill my prescriptions through my local pharmacy until after the third month, when the co-pay for my prescriptions increased from an average of $8.00 to between $30.00 to over $100.00 for the first month, which would increase by a certain percentage every month thereafter unless I order through Express Scripts.

I have Lupus, for which my dermatologist and/or rheumatologist prescribes ** 200mg tablets, the generic for **, a non-controlled substance which was developed to treat Malaria and which for unknown reasons also helps to control Lupus. The Lupus affects the skin on my face in a very bad way and it has taken my doctors many years of treatment to get me under control to where my redness has diminished and the swelling has subsided. Express Scripts has refused to fill my prescription for ** giving me a different story or excuse every time I or my husband calls them, already at least a dozen times. For the most part they tell me that my dermatologist has not authorized the prescription, however my dermatologist's office has advised that they have provided the information several times.

During two of my calls to Express Scripts I was told that Wal-Mart pharmacy could fill a prescription my doctor had given me on my last visit, without a penalty (so it should be $8.00 a month) so I tried that. Wal-Mart informed me that they had in turn been told that the prescription was already filled and mailed to me 8 days prior and that I should call Express Scripts again. I did call and was told something had been misinterpreted and nothing had yet been mailed to me and they were still waiting for approval from my doctor, which if my doctor insisted they had already done, it could be somewhere in their system but no way to tell where.

I was advised to try Wal-Mart again but then they told Wal-Mart that my co-pay would have to be $102.00 (more than CVS, the pharmacy where I originally had it filled and the "penalty" co-pay was $79.99 or so). Express Scripts did authorize an emergency 7-day supply to be filled but at a cost of $24.98. So here I sit without my prescription, risking a setback as I feel it is unlikely that they will dispense my medication in the near future.

This is absolutely ridiculous and inconsiderate of Express Scripts. Why is it that every time that I, my husband, or the pharmacy calls, we get a different story. No two stories are alike and while one customer service agent is willing to expedite my medication (if approved) at no cost, another tells me it will cost $21.00? Something must be done about their faulty practices. It is inexcusable that companies such as this are allowed to continue in business at the expense of the health and budgets of those of us who need maintenance medications.

It is worth noting that during one of my calls to Express Scripts I was told that these issues only happen during the first refills through them, yet not only from the experience I related at the beginning but also from my husband's experience with them during the past years, I know that this is not the case. I feel it is all a conspiracy to not cover medications and to frustrate us into giving up the cause.

Please avoid dealing with them if you can. I just can't take it any longer. I have never ever encountered such a company that does business in such a pathetic, unprofessional, incompetent manner. I write a check, they cash it, clears my bank and they have no record of it. They expect me to go to the bank, get a copy of the front and back and then pay to fax it to them. They will not release my husband's prescription that he needs until it is cleared by then he will be past due on his medication. Well guess what... not their problem! Oh further, they make it difficult to send in a complaint to their company. They should be put out of business and replaced with a company that knows what they are doing.

I also tried to get my food covered as I am on a feeding tube following cancer. Permanent condition. Was denied, called and they said I could appeal. I appealed telling them I needed this to re-verify. DENIED. I try not to deal with them, pay extra on my other meds to avoid them. Wrong prescriptions received in past, not delivered when promised, BUT have no choice on this med. Please investigate this company. They lie, mislead people.

I then asked to speak to her supervisor. Was told by this one that it was my fault the order had not shipped. I should have requested them sooner. Most people know better and plan better. This was a brand new order for 3 brand new prescriptions, not a refill. When she told me she was going to put me on hold again I said, "You are kidding, right? I have now been on this call for 20 minutes." Her response: "I can put you on hold or we can sit here is silence while I access your account." I told this lady to "Just forget I called. Never mind. I would figure something else out."

Called again and spoke to someone that was actually able to help me, Julia I think. She was great. She transferred me to another supervisor, Christine. Christine was possible able to expedite the order. I am to check the status tomorrow and see where it is at. Either way at this Christine was able to try something. It should not take 4 people and 30 to 35 minutes to see if a new order can ship earlier than Express Scripts' estimated date. The worst. Will make sure HR for my company knows as well.

When I tracked the package it says waiting for package. Which means they have physically not sent anything but a call tag. It has not moved since 4 a.m. on the 8th and it is somewhere. They keep telling me it has been sent and that's all they can tell me this package is shipped... In 2 days I will have been without my medicine for 30 days I am not supposed to stop taking this abruptly so what do I do? They say take a day off of work pay the doctor another office visit and then I can get a temporary refill which would cost me about the same as if I would have bought it from the pharmacy in the first place and paid full price on my own.

We are forced to use this insurance for the UAW and I feel that things will be changing soon. Nobody seems to get their medicine on time and everybody is getting sick. If I left it to them I would be in grand mal seizures right now and would be hospitalized. I think it's time for a class action lawsuit against this company that should not be operating. They are making people sicker. I have gotten every excuse in the book from them but still no medication. If you have a choice do not use this company and if you do not have a choice I would suggest you just pay. In the first place it is better than hospital and doctor bills. Because you haven't gotten your medication and they do not care at all. Totally unacceptable.

Sometimes you have to go through 4 or 5 CSRs to get a supervisor and most of the time they are not helpful either. They say they will do things, but do not follow through. They often hang up on you so you have to call back and start all over again. Here are some of the things we have experienced: Wrong doses being sent. Medication that was ordered not being sent. Physician's orders altered by the pharmacist. Billing errors. Requests for decreased co-pays based on financial hardship denied by a computer. No human being with any medical background reviews appeals. Taking up to 7 days to verify physician license and PIN (Provider Information Number) which takes roughly 30 seconds on a national website. Taking up to 7 days to run drug interactions which can be accomplished online in less than five minutes. Being told an order was waiting on verification from the physician when the physician states this has already happened.

Express Scripts is NOT accredited by any organization. This means they don't answer to anyone, but themselves. No one audits their practices, policies and procedures. You can't even file a complaint. The CSR does it for you and you have zero input about the content. The customer is not contacted the complaint. What is the point of complaining to Express Scripts about Express Scripts? It falls on deaf ears. A manager told me all they track is how many complaints they get in certain areas. Their process does not allow for a plan to correct the areas of concern. I was told I could write a letter to the Patient Response Officer about my concerns. I did this on 8/1/2016 and someone named Kelly actually called me from ** (which is a fake number, by the way). I was in an area where I did not have cell phone reception so it went to voice mail.

She stated she wanted to speak to me about the letter I had written and to "call the main number where 'anyone' could help" me. I tried to do this on 8/19/2016 and after talking to 2 CSRs was told Kelly just wanted to verify my address. I explained several times to this guy that Kelly's message said it was about the complaint letter I had written, but he kept insisting the notes in my record said it was about verifying my address. I asked to speak with his supervisor. After being kept on hold for 20 minutes, I spoke Brandon, who stated he worked with Kelly and she did put a note in my record that she tried to contact me about the complaint letter I wrote.

He said he would have her e-mail me, as my preferred method of communication with Express Scripts is e-mail. I asked him to find out why the CSR I spoke with said Kelly called about verifying my address and he said he would do so and notify me of the reason by e-mail. Of course, that hasn't happened either. Brandon also informed me that I was the only DOD customer with an issue with Express Scripts. Needless to say, I've never heard from Kelly, either. Everything is lies with Express Scripts. I can't understand how this company is allowed to stay in business. This company needs to be investigated and shut down.

Updated on 09/15/2016: On 9/7/16 my husband received an e-mail from E/S stating his RX for ** was being held because they were waiting to hear from the physician. I called Member Services and spoke to Nicole who told me the medication was a Class 3 controlled medication which required an actual signature, not an electronic one. I immediately called the physician's office and requested they send this signature as his injection was already 2 week overdue. I spoke with the physician's office the next the morning and was told the fax was sent to E/S on 9/7/16 at 14:47 with confirmation that it had been received. Unfortunately we assumed this had been taken care of and his medication would be shipped.

On 9/10/16 at 04:17 my husband received an e-mail saying the prescription was still being held as they were waiting for more details from the physician's office, but had not heard from them so he should call them. What great timing! As if we can reach the physician's office on a Saturday! A call was placed again to Member's Services.

After not being able to understand the person who answered the phone, we asked to speak to a supervisor. We were transferred to Daniel, who claimed he was a supervisor. He told us the pharmacist needed more details about the Rx. When told that the RX was exactly the same as the previous Rx, he stated the pharmacist was questioning the Rx. I asked why they were questioning a Rx that had no changes in dose or any other areas, his response was, "They can questions doctor's orders. That's why they go to school."

Having already had the experience of an E/S pharmacist altering a physician's order, needless to say, we were upset. We then asked to speak to a pharmacist and after several more minutes on hold, finally got to speak to one. She stated the issue was the electronic signature that had been sent with the original order. We had to explain multiple times that the physician's office had faxed the order with his actual signature on 9/7/16 at 14:47. She keep saying it hadn't been received. I have since discovered it can take up to 48 hours for a fax to be entered in Express Script's system. They are complied and logged manually. Meanwhile, expect to get e-mails stating "You have a decision to make about your health care" and "We've reached out to your doctor, but have had no response."

The supervisors at Express Scripts are liars, who make things up when they don't have an answer. The canned e-mails sent out contain inaccurate information causing unnecessary phone calls to the physician's office, making us look like idiots. Express Scripts simply does whatever they want and don't have to answer to anyone. My husband currently has 9 months worth of anti-hypertension pills and 6 months worth of proton pump inhibitors. They are supposed to only send 90 days at a time. This is fraud, waste and abuse. If you have any choice at all, use another pharmacy. We are forced to use Express Scripts by TriCare because we are on a fixed income and cannot afford to pay out of pocket for competent service from a local pharmacy.

I have been taking the same medications for roughly two years now without any issues with insurance and I have had Cigna for years. I started a new job and the new employer used Cigna Insurance but they use Express Scripts for the pharmacy provider. So the issue started when I needed one of my primary pain medications that is strictly controlled and NOT a medication that can be suddenly stopped. However, Express Scripts did not care about the health risks or the pain endured and they decided to not only take 4 weeks to communicate with the doctor the steps required to enable pre-authorization of the medication, (note: I was having to be the intermediary each day between Express Scripts, my doctor, and the local pharmacy for the entire process) Express Scripts decided they were going to deny the pre-authorization and start the process over again. I was without this crucial medication for 5 weeks enduring more pain than I have ever thought possible as well as the side effects incurred from withdraw side effects of suddenly stopping this medication.

I had to do something immediately otherwise it was extremely evident that I would not be around much longer in the state I was in, so I was forced to purchase the medication out of pocket for $495.29 and that was after my local pharmacy searched and applied all the discounts they were able to find for me. The day after I purchased the medication out of pocket and Express Scripts was alerted of this by my pharmacy they at that point approved the pre-authorization. I called Express Scripts and found out that I would be eligible for reimbursement of the out of pocket expense and I followed all the hoops they make you jump through and received a reimbursement check for $148.00 instead of the actual reimbursable amount. Express Scripts stated they only cover up to that amount, and then they called my pharmacy and said that they would only cover 15 days worth of my medications.

So apparently, Express Scripts believes they are God and they get to determine if I live or die because I only am allowed to have my medication for half the time each month. I have informed my employer of the situation and they are up in arms about this as well. However I am still not seeing any results and have no idea what I am supposed to do next. I have a wife and a son that just celebrated his 3rd birthday last month. I desperately want to be around to teach him as he grows up and celebrates his 30th birthday, but Express Scripts is doing everything they can to keep that from happening. What can I do? Who can help? I know I am not the only person Express Scripts is doing or has done this too. EXPRESS SCRIPTS HAS TO BE STOPPED!

My desired outcome is that Express Scripts is Shut Down and every single one of them behind bars for the Cruel and Unusual Punishment they deliver to a vast number of unfortunate individuals being required to use their "so called services". If that is not able to be done, I want the actual reimbursement amount owed of $396 which is 80% of the amount paid out of pocket and the amount that my plan is supposed to cover. I also want to receive the FULL AMOUNT of the medication that MY DOCTOR actually prescribed me for my issues, NOT what Express Scripts wants provide!

Enter Express Scripts... I'm covered by my husband's plan at work, Sysco Foods, which has given Express Scripts total control of managing my prescriptions. Express Scripts will not allow me to use my savings cards, which would cost me a fraction of the cost. For instance, with my savings card, ** would cost me $15, ** $25, and ** $0. A total of $40 for all three medications. If I use Express Scripts, then these medications would cost me more than $600.

I've written a letter of appeal to the Express Scripts prescription management department of my plight, to have them take me off "mail order only", and they denied it. In my letter I explained that I could not afford Express Scripts prices and that if they denied my appeal, that meant they would be playing God with my health and I would die for not affording my meds. Folks, it's like being in front of a death panel, and Express Scripts is going to decide whether I live or die. I guess they have decided that I need to die. I'm at a loss! They are playing God with my life!

Worst customer service, worst messaging system and by far a consumer nightmare... Do not ever get this insurance. Better to have none. At least then you expect to be ripped a new one. With them its, taking it twice. And they have the nerve to charge my employer money for services, a shame really. They should have to pay people to even deal with them.

Not sure what else I can do other than post here and hopefully some authority that governs these types of companies will step in and shut them down or fine them for taking policyholder premiums and not fulfilling their end by renewing prescriptions ordered by a doctor for a pre-existing condition. Awful, awful, awful. Why am I paying $700 a month for healthcare coverage if the company receiving a portion of my premium won't even cover an existing condition? Illegal, illegal, illegal and something needs to be done about Express Scripts.

Every time I call they are quick to tell me, "The doctor didn't put your ID # on the script." Then I tell them, "Yes they did. I watched them as they filled out the electronic order. They put the ID # next to my name and in the comments just as Express Scripts wanted it done." After telling me I was wrong, giving me this attitude about it (which by the way I don't need their attitude. I have one of my own!), they called the pharmacy. Not only did they fill it in the wrong account, the wrong amount of pills, they also didn't bother reading the ID# on the script. I spent 5 months getting this correct and they still filled it wrong every time.

I have seven scripts I spent at the minimum 90 minutes every time there is a refill on the phone with Express Scripts getting my scripts correct. Each time I hear, "It is fixed, won't happen again." When I call up a week later, when the prescription hasn't arrived. I have to go through the same thing. There are a lot of times I have to call the doctor's office. The intern have to call Express Scripts, this process has taken up to two weeks for Express Scripts to finally have what they need. Then I still need to call to make certain it is filled out of the right account. Only to have the medicine come with a amount due. One was $625.00, who would have this filled in an account that has this charge, when you other account is $0? I don't know what the problem is with them but it seems since we forced to use this service are punished for using them.

Express Scripts loses records of prescriptions from physicians' offices (These assertions are based upon a compilation of the 1,600 complaints). I have lodged complaints with Senator Klobuchar and Senator Franken's offices. Until we get government hearings and action into this matter, we will be forced to continue self-payment or will have to put up with the consumerism scam that is being perpetuated by Express Scripts.

I called Tricare/ES back and informed them that I was not going to pay $49 for a 30-day supply when it was their fault that they were taking so long. They agreed for me to send back the smaller supply and would credit my account $49. Problem solved, right? Wrong. In the process they canceled my entire medication/refills in the system so when I went to refill it after 90-days there was nothing in the system showing I had the medication or its approval status. So I had to go through this again.

I asked Tricare/ES to ask my doctor's office for another 90-day supply script. My doctor's office has numerous doctor's and one of them wrote a script -- but it was for a 30-day supply script. Tricare/ES did not notify me of the change and sent out the 30-day supply on July 29, 2016. I never received it. I called numerous times over the next two weeks and was told that the shipment had been sent back because "we had moved and left no forwarding address" (We have lived in our house for the last year and have no intention of moving).

During this time, I was informed by another customer service rep that they would ship out a replacement 30-day supply. I told them that would not be necessary, that instead of sending the 30-day supply, please send me the 90-day supply instead as I didn't want to be charged another $100 -- I only wanted to pay my $49 for the 90-day supply. I was assured this would not happen (by multiple customer service reps over multiple phone calls) in the days that followed.

Today I received my 90-day supply (6 weeks after I had requested my first refill!) and saw my bill had increased by another $49. I called Tricare/ES and spoke with three different representatives (the last one a top manager named Ester), who told me that Tricare/ES has a policy to never accept returns, that whoever had credited my account had done so illegally, and they would in no way allow me to return the 30-day supply and that I would be charged the extra $49 and there was nothing they could do! I was astounded at how rude and condescending all three representatives (today) had been to me. Especially since the top manager, Ester, had gotten part of the information wrong.

Tricare/ES had originally cancelled my entire anti-nausea order but she told me that they had just cancelled the original 90-day supply -- so that would not have made sense that my doctor's office would need to write a second (and third) script in July when I called for my refill (she told me that the first 30-day script had cancelled the 90-day script -- that was incorrect). I had to get a Tricare/ES pharmacist to renew/approve the second 90-day script written after the customer service reps had told me (over numerous phone calls) they couldn't get another approval for it.

So now, I have a 30-day supply that I'm being charged $49 for that I should never received without verifying it with me first and a 90-day supply and an additional $49 charge that I had been promised I wouldn't have to pay for on my current bill. If this is how Tricare/Express Scripts deals with ONE medication over an 8 month period I can only imagine how they treat people with numerous issues. I will never use Tricare's Express Scripts again and will warn any military member I come across who is looking into using their pharmacy to beware. Also, never ever ever give them your credit card information. Thankfully they do not have mine and I will gladly fight this on my credit report in the next year when they send me to collections as I am refusing to pay for a product I never wanted in the first place. Consumers beware!

I'm in my 4th week of dealing with countless phone calls and robocalls and not one thing has worked out as they stated, or promised. They want to wear you down, so you'll give up, and pay out-of-pocket. They backdate your prescriptions so you can't fill them at your local pharmacy. They only want you to fill them with Express Scripts.

DO NOT GIVE THEM YOUR BANK ACCOUNT INFORMATION OR YOUR CREDIT CARD INFORMATION. This is a dishonest company with only one motive, and that is greed. If they prevent patients from getting their medications, their bottom line looks bigger and better and they win. Don't trust them and don't believe a word any customer service representative says. If you have an opportunity to change plans, or get another prescription benefit company, do so. They are a horror of mismanagement, lies, lack of concern or care and an abhorrent level of greed. Avoid them at all costs.

The last time I had this problem I spoke to Angle Ext ** and her supervisor Cherry, and I was told that it was all taken care of... WHAT A JOKE! I have asked my bank for the tracking and trace of the first payment and also asked them not to pay a damn thing till we get this fixed! I am done screwing around, I will do without my meds because the problems are not worth the heartburn anymore! Please do not feed me any more lines about having it fixed, as it isn't! I will not be returning at the end of the year and you can be assured that EVERYONE I know will know about it. Somebody that knows what the hell is going on needs to call me!

Further, I currently spend significant amounts on co-pays and travels to medical providers to maintain my health. I was basically was put in a situation where I either spend out-of-pocket to maintain my health while out of my medications, or wait on Express Scripts to deliver my medication via postal main--which may in fact may require a change in dosage rendering a 90-day supply a waste. Thank you for the opportunity to express my concerns in this matter.

Original Review: Aug. 13, 2016

I got a prescription from my doctor for ** nasal spray. Filled it at local pharmacy, received a 17g bottle and it said 28 day supply for $15. I then got Express Scripts to add it to my mail meds in which they sent me 1 bottle 17G as well which was supposed to be a 90 days supply but was the same bottle for the 28 day supply the pharmacists gave me for $30. I called to find out what was up and was told by the guy that each bottle should be 30 day supply and that he would credit me back $20 for what I did not receive and he would try to get the doctor to fix the way he wrote the prescription.

I told him I had just changed when the auto-renewal should go out for 30 days later not now because I hadn't even opened the first bottle yet. He told me he would put a note on it and that once it was approved I could go back online and change the day I wanted it sent. 3 days later I get 2 bottles in which they are charging me for 3 bottles again. I called and now they saying each bottle is a 60 day supply... And will not take the meds back even though it's in the same carton not opened they sent it in and will not credit me back the other $10 charging me the same amount per bottle that the pharmacy does but pharmacy says 30 day supply they say 60 day...

I explained to him that I live in a very remote area and my mailbox is in a cluster mail box about 5 miles from where I live. Sometimes the boxes are broken into at night - no doubt thieves looking for checks and medications sent in the mail. I explained that having my prescriptions delivered by mail is too risky in the area I live in. He then had the audacity to suggest that I get a PO box. I said I didn't want to have to make a 40 mile round trip to the post office that serves my area to check a PO box to see if my meds had arrived. He said he would make a note of my concerns and hung up.

I pay over $1200 a month for my insurance (and that's after the $500 my employer kicks in each month). I don't think I should be charged more for my medications because I don't trust mail delivery. All of my meds are already generic. Express Scripts seems much more interested in making a buck than providing their customers with reliable service. I am also very disappointed with Anthem Blue Cross for turning their insurance customers over to a prescription company that seems to have no interest in providing acceptable service to its customers.

Now this happened the 19th of July and today is the 8th of August. I've called the pharmacy but they have no answers. So now I'm suffering an incredible amount of pain and can only keep going into the hospital to get the little amount of help they can offer. So I guess the lesson here is do not report if the pharmacy is ripping off some of your pain killers or they will make you painfully wish you never did.

I now have to have my doctor send in a Request of Coverage Review in order to get the price decreased. This is how they have become a Fortune 100 company making billions overcharging for scripts. If you have the choice of going directly to a pharmacy, I would suggest you do so. You will get better service than this HUGE company that is making money off of you having to take a maintenance drug.

Updated on 8/06/2016: After waiting two weeks to check the status of my claim the member service rep informed me, there was no activity on my acct. They told me to contact appeals dept to get this matter resolved. When I contacted appeals dept the lady informed me she could not see any of my information, so I faced it again. Also she informed me it would be close to another week before a decision would be made. When I called back after one week they informed me no fax had been received, when I have confirmation on my fax that it was received. So I resubmitted the fax. Now here I still wait. In short after speaking with 6 reps sending the same claim three times within two months. No refund... This is not my first claim needless to say always problems but I get refunded in the end. So what's different this time? We've learned all the correct procedures and terms.

Original Review: July 26, 2016

Express Scripts took over from our prior provider in Jan 2016. Since then it has become very clear the level of professionalism and customer service have gone down hill. I called on 07/26/16 to renew my scripts. First I got the slowest agent on the planet, Thomas -- nice guy but his sense of urgency was zero. I asked to speak to a supervisor to get things corrected -- got Agt ** Tracy. Tracy likes to talk over customers. She repeatedly interrupted me. If her goal was to just continue to talk over me until I became so frustrated I ended the call -- mission accomplished!! I am hoping and praying that our new insurance does not use Express Scripts for the mail order. They make mistakes; send out Rxs when told not to. Then when you return the errored Rx they still mark it on the account as "being filled." Thus screwing up future refills. Not worth the hassle -- if you're able to just refill at the pharmacy.

I couldn't believe my ears. Not one person with a medical background of any kind would read or see this information! A computer would make the decision! So I called today to find out the results. Guess what? The computer denied his request! Needless to say I was furious. So I asked her what my next option would be. She said "you can file a first level appeal." I asked her what that process entailed and she told me it was the same as the first appeal. I then specifically said, "Is anyone with any kind of medical background going to see this at any time?" She said NO, it was going to be an administrative process because our plan doesn't provide clinical evaluation. Insanity at its finest. Let's see, an administrator decides if they will cover your medicine needs. An administrator with no medical background of any kind. How is that even possible? They haven't heard the last of me because this is immoral and insane.

In the above situation, of course, they told me to tell the doctor to modify the prescription for a 90 day supply instead. So, I did, and Express Scripts got the modification. But, of course, they messed it up, so I have to unravel it because they want to mess everything up all the time on purpose. The first time I sent in a prescription to them, not only was their system awful and full of problems, but they never told me the price, and charged me way more than I consented to pay. This debate went on for a year until they hijacked my other prescriptions until I paid it.

The latest thing is that while I'm looking up the current status (which of course is not specific and is completely uninformative), the website and app are down. Of course, they don't tell me that, but instead claim I entered incorrect login information until finally the app gives me a very rude SITE DOWN message as if that's my fault I went to them to look something up. Why would a decent website be down during prime evening paperwork hours? It wouldn't be, of course. It's not a decent company.

They then tell me I need to call my doctor to tell him to call Express Scripts. Left another message at the doctor's office stating what needed to be done as it was after hours once again. Was called by the doctor's office today (Wednesday) and they said the doctor called and they still denied coverage because the info the doctor gave was not good enough. I called Express Scripts only to find out the pharmacist at Express Scripts denied it and I had the option of disputing it. I cannot believe how piss poor this company is! So apparently a doctor who is qualified to determine the right medicine for their patient isn't enough and Express Scripts is making that call for him. STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY IF AT ALL POSSIBLE!

Unfortunately my original doctor quit and this new doctor is not aware of my history of migraines so there was no rush by this doctor to get my RX called in. I had to call and message his office several times which only increased my stress level which in turn contributes to more migraines. Meanwhile on the Express Scripts website it stated they were out of stock and when the meds became available a letter would be sent to me telling me what to do. My last RX was filled 4/20/2016 so I should have received another RX from them on or about 6/24/2016 but as stated above they did not call me until the 28th or so to tell me out of stock. So doctor finally calls in a refill and I only get 9 pills. Plus have to pay. I called them again asking since they were out of stock why could they not fill with brand name and they said my doctor didn't write the RX that way. Well mighty strange I have gotten brand name before when they were out of the generic.

So I call again and ask why couldn't the pharmacy fill the RX with the 2 month supply and they said because that is not allowed. Isn't that strange? My hubby had to have a sleeping pill called into the pharmacy which is a CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE and they gave him 90 pills??? UNREAL!! So today I notice the Express Scripts page says they will start processing my next order on 8/31/2016. So I called again thinking they probably have it back in stock. Well of course they do and I then ask them well please fill my RX that was due 6/24/2016 and they tell me they can't because it's OVER MY LIMIT. How can it be over my limit when I got my last RX in April and have not received any except for the 9 at the local pharmacy.

So I asked for supervisor and she starts saying all this crap about she's going to call my doctor and ask how I was getting an RX every 2 months when I told her already the doctor wrote it specifically that way and she continues to say I am over the limit going back to December and then counting the days I have received the RX for and saying they can't override the system. I know this is hard to understand but the point is I was due the RX in June, did not get it, got 1/3 of it July 1st and now they say I have to wait until the 31st of August before they will process again? That is unacceptable!! The military makes us deal with this crap and we have no recourse. Why are we being treated like animals? Why can't I just get my medicine?

My husband had 3 pills left, so we were told to get an override or a waiver so our pharmacy would have 5 days of pills for us to pick up until ES could mail out the refill. We attempted to do this and all were told different information - the Dr. had to call it in... The pharmacy had to call... The patient had to call... Then finally after asking for a supervisor and two days on the phone with them totaling almost 3 hours, you could imagine our frustration! We were told the insurance company doesn't allow a waiver and we would have to pay out of pocket for whatever pills he needed until the refill was shipped to us.

The supervisor was useless. I told her the company would have a lawsuit on their hands for negligence if my husband or any other person, was denied their medication and had medical complications because of it. Some people don't have money to pay out of pocket and that's what the hell we pay insurance for! My husband could have serious problems if he suddenly stopped taking the medicine. They DONT CARE!

Our country has outsourced to third party companies and the USA is a sad story anymore. Nobody gives a damn! How sad. I was so upset with all the confusion and different information we were being told that I actually broke down crying. All together we spoke to over 15 different people and they all told each of us something different - my time that I mentioned dealing with them, didn't include the Dr.'s time, pharmacist time, or my husband's time... So I can imagine it would be more like almost 5 hours. It's not like we were trying to get ** or some regulated drug! They couldn't give two craps about us as people and we got nowhere with them.

In the end we will be paying out of pocket for a week's worth of pills all while paying for insurance too... Robbing the American citizens. Even their automated information was giving out wrong info! Wow you really do suck Express Scripts... I hope you all find another job where you are properly trained cause if America gets great again, the people will not stand for this crap! You will go under Express Scripts! You half dead **! Signed, a pissed off wife and a fed up American!

Even she admitted that to send one script to Florida and the other two to Brooklyn was stupid, but she insisted that her "notes" said otherwise and there was nothing she could do. She asked the pharmacist who refused to send out a new bottle of one of the scripts, which was blood pressure medication and was depleted. Since it was my final renewal, the representative instructed me to get in touch with my doctor in Brooklyn and have him contact Express Scripts with a new prescription. It would take approximately eight days for me to receive my medication. I told her that this is not my fault and the original representative made the error. She replied that her "notes" said differently. I told her that common sense said otherwise and she replied that she must go by her "notes". I asked her to review the conversation, which was supposedly recorded and she said that she couldn't.

I accused them of playing with my health and she replied in the same way. She was reading from a script, obviously and I realized that she wouldn't yield and that no one else could help me get my medication. Finally I told her I would follow her instructions. I made an "early renewal" on the other script, of which I had two weeks worth left. She apologized for the "inconvenience" and urged me to take a brief survey at the end of the call. I called my doctor and was able to get the medication at the local Walgreens.

What shocks me is, not only the ineptness of the original representative but the fact that they stuck by what she wrote, even though my health was in jeopardy. A company like Express Scripts has no right to play God and decide that a patient can live without his/her medication for any period of time. Their unyielding attitude (the "notes" are important, even if Express Scripts made the error and it was obvious that in this case they did) can hurt someone's preexisting condition. They didn't even check!!! Even if I have to pay more, I will no longer deal with prescriptions by mail with Express Scripts. They are dangerous!!

We have been in contact with Accredo and Express Scripts for two weeks looking for reimbursement. One representative from Express Scripts told us that they would mail us a form to fill out for reimbursement, once we gave them the documentation of out of pocket expenses and it would be arriving in seven business days; this never happened. When we called to say we never got the mail, Express Scripts transferred us to Accredo. A representative of Accredo, who is the specialty pharmacy for Express Scripts, said she would take another three days to get back to us so she could call our pharmacy. She would not say what the resolution would be and that the representative who last week said that we would get a letter was incorrect.

She then said that Accredo is a separate company from Express Scripts and so what Express Scripts says does not reflect on what Accredo says, even though when you look for Accredo on Consumer Affairs, Express Scripts comes up. She put me on hold about eight times in the half an hour I spent on the phone with her and had no new information. This company is either willfully incompetent in order to save on staff or to save on reimbursement by making the process so agonizing to manage. So in summary, wife needs medication to save a pregnancy, they take eight days to send the medication, we pay out of pocket for the medication in the interim time, and we spend four to five hours on the phone with them with no resolution in sight about reimbursement after we were told we were being reimbursed and then a week and a half later told that we aren't.

Every, single person I dealt with was rude and treated me like I was an idiot, even though they were in the wrong. Then about 3 months ago, I stopped needing/taking the drug. I went online and cancelled my auto-renew, thinking that was all I would have to do. Oh no, of course not. That only cancelled the current auto-renew. The next time it came due (in 3 months), I received the medication. I contacted them, and cancelled again, only to receive the meds AGAIN the next time. I finally emailed and asked them what in the world I had to do to stop getting this drug that I no longer need. They said they would take care of it.

That was a month ago and today, I got an email that I have a new prescription pending that is preparing to ship. Sure enough, same prescription. Apparently, they contacted my Dr (who I no longer even use) and they approved it, so Express Scripts is processing it. This, after I clearly told them that I no longer take this drug and do not want it. I'm not sure what I have to do to stop getting this medication, but this is the most ridiculous company I've ever dealt with.

So I email scammers and tell them I didn't order this. They give a canned answer and then I reply saying I refused the package and will not be paying. Surprisingly, I got the SAME answer. This is beyond crazy. Who are these people? Why don't you look in your little system and make sure you have got things right. This time I told them I want a copy of the prescription submission. Why is the US fighting terrorism in the sand box when these terrorists run free of charge in the US?

First I was told that there are 3 different pre natal vitamins that are covered under my plan and I could pick them up from my local pharmacy. So my Doc called the 1st one in and it was on back order. Then the 2nd one was called in and when I picked it up I had to pay over $50 even though it was suppose to be free. Then I call back to Express Scripts and was told that the one I picked up was not covered under my plan, so apparently I had been given the wrong information in the first place. And of course they could not refund me.

Then I tried to order a different one and waited and waited and it never arrived. Called again and was told that I had a deductible and there was no pre natal vitamins that I could get for $0. After over 45 minutes on the phone with the representative I am then told that she was able to find one that is covered and she gave me again the exact spelling so my Doc could call it in. Lets see if after all of this I will finally get my pre natal vitamins. This is ridiculous!!! I would stop using them immediately but unfortunately I am forced to stay with them because of my insurance plan. Whenever possible I use my local pharmacy to avoid having to deal with them.

Again, I like to point out that we are talking about pre natal vitamins here. I don't even want to start thinking about what people have to go through who need actual medication or pain killers. I am sure it is an absolute nightmare. Also I went on Express Scripts facebook site and basically every comment on there is negative. But it looks like the company does not care much about these reviews since it is apparent that customer service is at the very bottom of their list of things to do.

So now... Dr. has switched me to insulin pens which eventually I did get. Took many phone calls to get that straightened out. I could write a novel on that but in a nutshell, I was told that they could not understand how the prescription was written. I use a sliding scale and while I have the scale, the prescription had been written for not the max dose but the next one to it. Not sure if they were afraid I'd inject too much or what but... First they said they would ship. Then they said they wouldn't until the Dr. straightened it out. Then all of a sudden, I got my insulin. But... What? Somehow got alerted that they were sending another insulin prescription. I can't remember now what alerted me to this. I called and they told me that they thought I would WANT another 90 day supply because the first batch that they sent had the wrong prescribing info. Actually, it wasn't wrong. I am well aware how to use it. They just can't figure it out.

So... Fast forward to like a month and a half or something. Was checking my bank account online and there's a pending charge to Express Scripts. I called and got a bunch of mumbo jumbo from them, starting with my barely being able to hear much less understand what they were saying. Then being placed on terminal hold waiting for the pharmacist.

First they tried to tell me that my Dr. just sent in a new prescription with a new dose. I said this couldn't be. Hadn't been to the Dr. and don't see the diabetes educator till Thu and the DE is the one who sets my doses. Then they quickly tried to change their tune, saying that the prescription had been written wrong and they were trying to correct it.

I stopped them in their tracks and told them that we'd been through this over a month ago and I assured the pharmacist then that I didn't need more pens. Especially since I am still using up the vials and syringes that I still have. Still have one vial that I will start in three days. And no, I don't need another crisper drawer full of insulin. I then asked them if they were supposed to contact me before sending a prescription and they said that they were. My account is set up so that I must place the order and not automatic shipments. Looks to me like they tried to slip one over on me.

They really couldn't explain why this happened. Each time they tried to give me a different story, I said, "Nope". Then they tried to give me a new story. Bottom line is to watch them like hawks. Now I have to waste more of my time following up on this because I don't trust them to cancel the order like they said they would. We've played this game before. They'll say it is too late to cancel then make me pay for it. Not happy!

I tried to explain the situation and asked if they can cancel the order so I can fill at my local pharmacy instead she says "No, the order is already processed through your insurance and it can't be cancelled. If you go to your pharmacy you will need to pay full price for the meds." I explained to her that the meds cost over $1200 at full price and she told me again that next time I need to make sure I order in advance so this doesn't happen. So, yesterday I get an email saying my order has shipped but no tracking number (since they are refrigerated I need track them so I can make sure I can be there to receive them). I checked the website for a tracking number and it says the order has not shipped. I call CS and get another rude rep who tells me the order hasn't shipped and that the earliest anything would ship is Monday, but it could be even later because their ship dates are only estimates.

So, I am now totally out of insulin (and have at least another 5 days before it will arrive), can't fill at my local pharmacy because medication that has not even been shipped has already been charged to my insurance (according to their CS reps it was charged 7 days before the ship date they are now giving me!), and all I get when I call this company are rude customer service reps who don't care about how important medication is to their customers and how desperately ill they can become when they run out.

If I have a balance they put it on his account and vice versa. We cannot get them to comprehend it's two different accounts. They blame it on Verizon. Then they tell you that they do not bill on each others accounts when I am looking right at it. Back in April I spent time with a rep who credited a bill and in addition we had sent two checks that day after speaking with her. Cannot get that rep on the phone. They leave numbers with extensions that never answer. They have all sorts of computer systems saying this one doesn't recognize this, that, or the other. Guess this company can't put everything into one system. Spent 2 hours on the phone with them last week along with a rep from Verizon benefits. Finally got them to agree that all I owe is $20.92 - think it was resolved only to get a call 4 days later insisting we owe 90 something dollars.

They tell you what is in front of you is not correct that you owe thats it. Reps are rude, clueless and don't give a hoot. I am still in major dispute with them and they have now suspended my husband's account. This company truly needs to be seriously investigated by someone. I refuse to pay them once again for something I do not owe nor can they explain why I owe it. Somehow this is getting fought to the end. I have had all I can tolerate of this incompetent company!

Original Review: June 15, 2016

My doctor ordered my maintenance medication while I was still at the office and it was approved by Express Scripts shortly after. Since then, I haven't heard a single word from them regarding collecting a payment or even delivering my medicine. Then, once I realized I was getting low on medication, I did as their website said and got a second prescription from my doctor so I could pick up enough to carry me over from a pharmacy locally. After having insurance decline the medicine locally, they called to notify me that Express Scripts filed for multiple medications and as such, limited my ability to get any more at a local pharmacy. I use 4 medications (2 of which are dosed at 3 pills daily) and have yet to receive a single one, which is quite frightening. Word of advice, just be prepared when ordering. Make sure you have enough to last you while you wait, and be sure everything is approved by insurance after ordering.

The office said they would keep an eye out for it so all I had to do was wait for my prescription. On June 8th I received my prescription only to find the name brand version in the packaging along with a $49 bill for the prescription. I was not told that I would be receiving the name brand version, nor was I told about receiving a $49 fee. So I call Express Scripts up and tell them that this was not what I wanted and it was certainly not what I agreed to. After about an hour on the phone and talking to three different people, including a pharmacist, I was told that I had to destroy the medication and pay the $49 fee.

I argued with them that it was not what I wanted and it was not my fault that I was sent something that I was not expecting at all. Their explanation was that, although they sent a request for the generic version of my medication my doctor sent back a prescription for the name brand version and that they had to fill it out no matter what. According to them, they couldn't call me and tell me that I would be getting something totally different and a $49 fee, they just had to fill the prescription sent by my doctor and send it to me. I certainly will not pay the $49 and will dispute this with my insurance company. Express Scripts clearly has a communication issue with their customers and refuse to admit to their numerous mistakes.

Utter lack of communication concerning when an order will actually ship. If I am traveling and they decide to ship and I need them to delay shipping for a few days, they just cancel the whole order instead of changing the shipping date. I then have to check the status daily and then reorder which puts it all back in the 14 day processing cycle making it difficult to ensure I have it on time for my scheduled injections. Because of the refrigeration issue, my previous supplier would call and schedule when I wanted delivery.

When Express Scripts are low on inventory, they just cancel the order without informing me that they cannot fill the order. If I don't check the order status every single day, I don't know that the order is no longer in process. The order is simply removed from the list of my refill orders. It is unacceptable that 3 of 6 orders have been affected by their inability to fill the order due to lack of inventory. Clearly, if they are not going to invest in adequate inventory, a customer should be able to opt out of the requirement to use Express Scripts for this (or any other) medication.

When Express Scripts cannot fill the order for which they hold the prescription, the onus is put back on me to obtain yet another prescription by my doctor and have it sent to another network supplier for fulfillment. Since Express Scripts doesn't communicate the problem of filling the order in the first place, I don't find out until time is very short. This time, there are 5 business days left to get a new prescription from my doctor, get it processed and then get it actually delivered. Getting this one prescription filled and/or refilled with Express Scripts is an absolute nightmare. If I could afford to pay full price, I would switch back to filling it through the previous network supplier!

Okay, so while on the phone with my doctor, they phoned it in and faxed. ES sends two emails two days later once again advising that they need the refill RX from the doctor. I called and that's where the fun really began. I was disconnected and nobody called me back. 4 times later, I finally get the same rep. Explained the problem and frustration. It was like she could care less and just kept repeating herself that the RX was never received. I tried to explain that ES made an error and it was sent by my doctor. I asked for a supervisor - the supervisor REFUSED to take my call.

After 45 min. I turned it over to the spouse because I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown with this rep. The spouse asked to speak with someone else and was transferred to the pharmacy who confirmed receipt of the RX but advised that ES told them that they need a coverage review. What? So back to ES rep who again insisted that they are just waiting for the RX from the doctor. Okay, so the spouse started all over again. Now transferred and conferenced with my insurer rep. They approved the RX and no need for a review. In fact, they confirmed that ES NEVER even submitted the RX to them!!!

So now both the spouse and my insurer are trying to explain this to the ES rep who just could not understand the problem and still the supervisor REFUSED to get on the call. After 1 1/2 hours, both the spouse and the insurance company rep finally spoke with another individual who advised he corrected the error on Express Scripts' side. He refused to send a confirming email and refused to provide his full name. So can't wait to see what's next... having to make yet another frustrating to Express Scripts to start all over again because my confidence in them in 0.

If the original customer service rep (I have her name) had just listened to the concern and looked into it instead of just sounding like a broken record and repeating "we are waiting for your doctor to send the RX", none of this would have occurred. Shame on their customer service. Customer service is about listening and resolving - not ignoring and repeating the same stupid, inaccurate sentence! I will be filing a formal complaint with my insurer in hopes that they will allow a different company to handle my prescriptions. Disgusting!

The missing information was then given to Express Scripts and was told to the nurse that I would be getting a call for shipment. Mind you, these first few calls, Express Scripts consistently verified my address prior to moving forward with a conversation about my prescription. Fast forward after the first initial missing information, that Monday after, still no update. I call Express Scripts and they tell me that the dosing is not legible and that they are waiting on the doc office to clarify the dosing.

I call my doc office to let them know that they need to contact Express Scripts because the dosing is not legible. I had not one but 2 nurses call within 4-5 days of each other because after one called with the correct dosing, the system still showed it needed to be updated. The second nurse calls with correct dosing and was told everything is good to go and that the patient would receive a call about shipment. Fast forward, 3 days later because again my doc office isn't open Fridays through Sundays. Still no call about my shipment. I call back to Express Scripts and this is several calls in one day. Here's the rundown of excuses within 2 weeks of why my prescription is still not ready for shipment:

Missing authorization and directions and dosing. Canceled prescription because they could not contact the doc office. They required a new prescription and received missing docs but dosing is not legible. Dosing is clarified by 2 nurses within 4-5 days and shipment should have proceeded. Another call and this time they have all the correct dosing, but they are out of stock of the medication that is being requested. Same day I call back and the rep says, "We have some in stock and will be calling for shipment in 24 hours." 24 hours later still no call. I call my rep for the medication and they called to speak with a supervisor. This time, their new excuse was that they sent the meds to the wrong address and that they would need a totally new prescription. Now remember, I verified my address every time I have called in order to continue speaking with them about my meds.

Every day I called about 2-4 times and every time I spoke with a rep, each and every one had a different reason or status of my prescription. This has been a nightmare and the nightmare is still going. Do not believe everything you read on your status through their website and make sure you call several times or several numbers to get a solution. You have some reps with Express Scripts who are willing to go out of their way to help you but most of the reps I have come across will give you basic information.

I was told by the supervisor that they CAN do more for you if they are willing to help. I pray I have a solution soon as my condition is getting worse. Oh yeah, and they told me to call my doc and have them send a prescription to my local pharmacy if I need my meds that bad. Well... If they knew what they were talking about they would know that the medication that I need is not allowed to be filled at a local pharmacy! Good luck to all who are having issues with Express Scripts. Unfortunately, they are the only pharmacy I can use because of my Tricare.

I was told after two hours of my time on the phone with first Christina, and finally Marissa, that the issue was now resolved and that I would be receiving my correct medication order within a few days at zero cost to me (which is a condition of my company's medical plan for preventative medicine). This morning I received an email alerting me that my new prescription would be mailed on 6/6/16. It is the generic version again!

I am now on hold with customer service waiting to speak with the pharmacist AGAIN. I have been on hold for 26 minutes. I actually had to demand to speak with a manager (while speaking loudly over the customer rep. secondary to her actually refusing me access to a manager) because, according to her, a manager could not provide any additional information other than what she had just told me (which was that she did not know if or when the correct version of my prescription could be mailed out).

Each representative I have spoken with tells me something different when I am switched to them (I have spoken with Christina and Marissa on 5/31/16 and the very rude and unprofessional representative this morning, and manager Brandon today - 6/2/16). The representatives appear to have the authority to make medical decisions for me without having knowledge of my personal medical history, and without having gone to medical school. Leaving out the reps making medical decisions on my behalf, why would a pharmacist who has no knowledge of my medical history have the authority to override a medical decision made my MD?

I have had to provide my birth date and address repeatedly on the same phone call. I have had to provide the specific medical reasons why I cannot take the generic version multiple times to non-medical staff who do not understand the medical terminology I am using to describe the issues with taking the generic version (there are significant medical reasons for why I cannot take the generic version, but I think that my MD stating on the prescription that it should be filled as prescribed should suffice, as he is the medical professional and has knowledge of my medical history). Additionally, providing my health history to non-medical staff so they can make a medical decision as to whether or not to follow my MD's prescription feels like a HIPPA violation and like practicing medicine without a license.

I loathe not being able to speak to my local pharmacist face-to-face. I sincerely wish my company did not require me to deal with these non-professional, non-medical and very incompetent people at Express Scripts. If I had any choice in the matter, I would deal directly with my local pharmacist, who just fills the prescription exactly as my MD prescribes.

I finally speak with a supervisor who gives me the number to a customer advocate line and I've been on hold waiting for exactly 1 hour and 52 mins... GREAT. Something must be done. I was supposed to apply yesterday. Now I have to wait until next week (even with expedite shipping) throwing my entire cycle out of whack. If, my insurance company only allows me to cont. to get my prescription though Express Scripts, then I will completely remove myself from the plan and purchase my own plan because I REFUSE to deal with this company.

This story is far from over. By the time I file appeals etc. they will have wasted more than $90 in man hours. I intend to contact the insurance board for our state. I told the 'supervisor' I spoke with today that I want anything cancelled that hasn't been sent. They have a drop down menu that indicates it is for order status but just says items are pending for 3 months from now but no way to cancel! I can't even delete my payment method so now will have to cancel my account and perhaps if they have no way to charge me they will get the hint. I will be appealing to Anthem as well. My insurance premium for 1 person is $860 a month & this is the service you get. Then, just now I went back to their site to find the order # for you and it's not on the list anywhere. I had to go get the box.

Updated on 5/28/2016: Apparently when this company responds to us and we reply, those communications are private, so I am writing here again to keep you informed, and let you know they do read these reports. It doesn't seem to improve how they operate, at least not yet. I received a call from one of their reps today because of my review here. Then I came to this site and found they have replied to my and have a very slight hope that I will get my money back. The following is my reply back to them after we talked.

"When I spoke to this company at the beginning, their representative and I went over exactly which prescriptions I wanted to be changed over to mail order. We NEVER discussed this medication which they sent me because I am not currently on this medication, PLUS, it was not one which I had requested. If something like this had happened with my local pharmacist he would either have called me or asked me about it on my arrival. Beyond that, If he had already packaged it up, the error would be easy to reverse then and there and I would not end up paying for something I do not want and never asked for."

When I just spoke to the Express Scripts agent she tried to tell me they DID fulfill their job by sending me the prescriptions. NO, I do not call it fulfilling their obligation when they send me something I did not ask for. Once again they tried to blame the clerk at the doctor's office, saying they have to send me whatever the doctor tells them. I feel that since I PAY THE BILL, they are under obligation to send me only what I ask for.

UPDATED ON 11/01/2016: I have already complained about how I despise being forced to get my birth control by mail. I emailed them to tell them I never got it as I live in an apartment building with shared package area. Not only did I never get my medication they ignored my email! In my company I work for my only option is to use Express Scripts and I am highly disappointed with that option. They need to stop mailing immediately and allow me to pick up my prescription from my pharmacy of choice without having to pay their ridiculous $30 fee. Enough! Stop being a ripoff!

This year, they started out with the same scam again, but then added a new twist by inventing three new criteria that I somehow had to magically meet for them to provide coverage for the same medication. Essentially, they wanted me to somehow produce my 20 year chronic nomination medical history that has spanned doctors in four states and two countries!

In one of the dozen or so coverage denial letters they have sent me, they indicate that I can appeal the denial in writing by sending a request to an "address below" - and then there is a big space with no address! 45 minutes on hold with Express Scripts and our worthless Care Coordinator still couldn't provide the address!!! I finally had to find "other ways" to get my prescription so that I can sleep and not worry about falling asleep while driving with my child in the car. Ironically, this other route is ACTUALLY CHEAPER than Express Scripts' insane prices. Bottom line is that Express Scripts main goal is to not pay for prescriptions, any way they can.

I mention to the poor employee yesterday, that I have been out of my blood pressure and Insulin for a week now... maybe my hospital bills will be going to them if there is an issue. For a medical company, they do not seem to understand the impact to one's health, by withholding life critical prescriptions. I am so angry, and tired of spending hours a day, multiple time a week to try and get my meds, that I could just get easily as the local pharmacy ~~~ AGGGHHH.

Tonight I was on the phone for 45 minutes. I got hung up on three times after. God, having gone through that damn menu and this time they're late with my medication. I have one pill left. I ordered in plenty of time for them to have 7 to 10 days to send me my meds and from what I understand it's sitting with a bunch of other people's medications on a pallet in a post office waiting to get picked up and it's been sitting there for four days and so now there's no way I can get the medication I need over the weekend because my doctor's not around so this is it. I have had it. Every single 90 days I need a new prescription I have to go through this every single time. I'll be damned if I'll use the automatic subscription renewal. It's bad enough talking to real people let alone to an automatic system.

Express Scripts sucks. You get what you pay for ** monopoly who don't care about people, who don't know what they're doing and don't care that you might be suffering. As a result this is what's wrong with America people like this companies. Like this, you don't give a damn about anybody but the bottom line. Oh they took out my money out of the account. It is already out of my bank account. They got what they wanted. **, that's the nicest thing I can say about them.

Shame on you. I hope your children have to take this kind of crap. I hope they suffer. I hope they suffer because you deserve it. You will collapse along with the rest of this society believe me. I hope you all become very ill, very very ill, and you'll remember this email if you - if anybody ever reads it, you all go to hell. They also take your calls without telling you ahead of time which is against the law. One fellow he said he would bring up that suggestion to his supervisor spot. Doesn't have anything to do with bringing up a suggestion. It's a law that he should know about. He didn't know about it or he said he didn't know about it. ** everybody's a bunch of liars.

On May 17, 2016 I called Express Script with concerns. I had not received my order of ** and I had no more pills. I was informed that my physician canceled the order. I immediately called the doctor and they had no knowledge of this cancellation. My physician immediately sent a ** new order of ** to my local CVS. May 18, 2016, I received another email from Express Script stating that my order for ** Tablets was being processed.

Once again I called Express Script and was now being told that this was the generic of **. How can a company change your medication without informing the patient or the doctor? I was told when a generic is available they can change it if the doctor hasn't requested the name brand form. In this case the name brand had been requested since December 14, 2015. Express Script chose to change it without notification. Even the representative, Donald, didn't know this was the Generic form of **. This is putting a patient's life in danger. I was without medication for 5 days and was never notified about the changes.

First of all, when was my child diagnosed as being bipolar? This is gross negligence on the company's part. What fraudulent kind of company is this? My child has NEVER been diagnosed with anything of the sort. At the bottom of the letter it states that "Express Scripts manages your prescription benefit from your employer or health plan." Seeing that my son has never taken medication related to any psychological condition, what planet are these people getting information from? And why is my health insurer sharing my address, etc. with a third party?

This is an egregious violation of my family's privacy. I had never heard of this company. Express Scripts contacts me in an aggressive effort to solicit children for test studies of bipolar medication when it doesn't even apply to my son? Medications for bipolar disorders can have serious side effects... and try it out on children who don't even need it? I will be contacting my medical insurance company first thing Monday morning. Medical negligence is not a joke.

Then they tell me that "my plan" has a $150 maximum charge for billing. I contacted my insurance carrier and they have nothing in the policy that states any such limit. Get back on the phone with ES and now it is all of a sudden their "courtesy limit". This conversation was not the last one. Checked my online account with ES and they have still not processed the med. It is now because "the doctor has not sent instructions." I have called the doctor again and they sent them two authorizations on the 10th of which the "pharmacist" from ES states he can only find one that does not have instructions.

Called the doc again, they have again sent the prescription with instructions. We are now to May 14th and the prescription is still listed as having no instructions but contacting the rep now says it is in process and will be shipped to in 5 to 8 days. I asked if they could send it any quicker as I am now very low on this med which is a pump delivered med and is metered by the pump for the amount to be used and not very likely to be able to be made in 2 to 3 day amounts.

Now I am being charged another $21 to get the med shipped quicker. The online account still has the med waiting for Doctor to respond. OK but that turnaround of 2 days now is at 2 days to get to process and then they have to send it. And I asked if they work 24/7 on prescriptions and the answer is now not on Sunday so if they started to process it today they won't ship it til maybe Tuesday and I might have it on Friday? Now we are getting to the part where the med will run out before I get the refill which will now cost me another $221. OH and by the way this med helps regulate my moods. So the next time I call them I won't be so nice to any of them. So many things have been said and retracted I do hope they have all of my calls on that recording. So anyone out there working on a class action suit I am interested in joining.

Thus, someone in another state is taking the wrong meds and might not know it. I have kept copies of the messages I've sent and received from Express Scripts, and they are ridiculous. I don't know how to get warning to the other patient that they're taking the wrong meds. Oh, and they blocked my refill scripts today at a local pharmacy because it's "too soon." Had to pay completely out of pocket.