A pharmacy agreement between Express Scripts and Kroger, Fred Meyer’s parent company, is set to be terminated at the end of the year.
Beginning in January, many Alaskans may no longer be able to go to Fred Meyer pharmacies to pick up their prescriptions.set to end at the end of 2022 between Express Scripts and Kroger, Fred Meyer’s parent company. Express Scripts is a pharmacy benefits manager, a company that acts as an intermediary between many local pharmacies and major health insurance companies to handle reimbursements.
“It is not unusual for there to be posturing between the two parties as they negotiate,” Lori Wing-Heier, director of the Alaska Division of Insurance, said in an email. She said no contract termination had yet been registered with the state. A spokesperson with Express Scripts said she couldn’t disclose how many Alaskans were serviced by the company.
Fred Meyer represents only 8% of pharmacies in Alaska, Lansford said, and every city with a Fred Meyer pharmacy also has one other in-network pharmacy Premera members can use. Meanwhile, the workload for non-Kroger pharmacies in Fairbanks will likely increase by about 25%, Nelson predicted, causing backlogs in prescription transfers that translate to delayed wait times for patients.
She said her biggest priority over the coming weeks will be helping Alaskans figure out how to quickly navigate the potential changes to where they can access care.
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