TULSA, Okla. — Some Oklahomans using CVS Caremark as their pharmacy are being told they cannot fill their 90-day prescriptions anymore citing past legislation. Now some folks are scrambling to get their proper dosage of medicine filled.
Rene Lee, of Tulsa, says communication between CVS Caremark has been a major issue. She's also a pediatric nurse at St. Francis Hospital. She recently received a 30- day supply of her meds and thought at first it was supply chain issues.
“We got medicines on back order where you’re like, seriously," she said.
Around that same time, she turned on the news and found out some Oklahomans received a letter from CVS Caremark saying they aren’t allowed to receive 90-day prescriptions anymore due to legislation passed in 2019.
She’s not buying it.
“With all insurances - private insurances - you’re contract bound," Lee said. "We have a great contract for a 90-day supply that cost me the same as a 30 -day supply. See the caveat.”
Having a healthcare background, she says it’s bad ethics.
“You don’t change a physicians order," Lee said. "The pharmacy doesn’t have the legal right to change a prescription from how it’s written.”
Oklahoma lawmakers on Monday says CVS Caremark has got to do better.
“We’ve received call after call with the misunderstanding that somehow inside the legislation that we passed that we got rid of the ability to fill a 90-day prescription," said Jon Echols, Oklahoma's House Majority Floor Leader. "The reality is only one company can’t seem to figure that out, and that’s CVS Caremark.”
Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner Glen Mulready has had his nose in the fight for months, and explains Oklahomans that work for companies with out of state headquarters are still having problems with CVS Caremark.
“The employer needs to put the heat on Caremark," Mulready said.
2 News reached out to CVS Caremark. This is their full response:
“We share the commitment of Commissioner Mulready and Oklahoma lawmakers to protecting Oklahomans’ access to affordable prescription drugs, and we look forward to continued dialogue with the Oklahoma Insurance Department (OID) and our clients to advance that shared goal.
“The OID recently determined that legislation enacted in 2019 is applicable to prescription benefits for certain multistate or national employers headquartered outside the state of Oklahoma. We have discussed with the OID our concerns about the impact changing uniform benefit design could have on consumers who rely on 90-day prescriptions. We continue to discuss this matter with the Commissioner and look forward to resolving this situation with OID to avoid any interruption to patient benefits and protect Oklahomans’ access to affordable prescription drugs.”
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