To: UT System-wide Faculty and Staff
From: Rob Chance, Director of Payroll
Subject: Changes to State’s Pharmacy Network
Over the last several weeks, you have received information from the state Office of Benefits Administration regarding changes to the state’s pharmacy network. As this affects all UT employees who are enrolled in an employee medical plan, I want to share the below information with you.
Starting July 1, 2010, CVS Caremark will become the pharmacy benefits manager for all employees participating in the State of Tennessee Group Health Insurance Program. All participating employees should receive the welcome packet and prescription cards in the mail by next week. If you do not receive your cards by then, please call the CVS Caremark Call Center, open 24/7, at 1-877-522-8679.
As a result of ongoing interaction between Walgreens and Caremark, Walgreens no longer will participate in the Caremark pharmacy 30-day network, effective July 9, 2010.
Update Notice: On June 21, Walgreens and Caremark reached an agreement whereby Walgreens will continue to be a part of the 30-day pharmacy network, although Walgreens will not be a part of the 90-day mail at retail network.
A document provided by the State of Tennessee Office of Benefits Administration summarizing changes to the pharmacy network can be found at http://insurance.tennessee.edu/pharmacyqa.pdf.
Even without Walgreens in the network, plan members will have access to more than 1,400 pharmacies across Tennessee. A listing of pharmacies participating in the retail pharmacy network (30-day supply) and the mail order network (90-day supply) can be found at http://www.caremark.com/stateoftn/.
This is important information. If you have questions or concerns, I encourage you to call CVS Caremark or visit the websites referenced above. Please understand we are working with the state to ensure that your medical needs will continue to be met. Changes such as these require preparation, and we are committed to relaying information as it becomes available to us.