Anthem enrollees: Move your maintenance and specialty medications soon

CVS Caremark manages all prescription medicine coverage for the University of Colorado’s Anthem-administered plans. With the plan year that began July 1, the options changed for Anthem plan enrollees to fill their prescriptions for long-term and specialty prescriptions under their insurance, with specific pharmacies or mail order services required.

This cost-mitigation for prescription coverage prevented a significant increase in employee plan premiums for the 2023-24 plan year.

CU wants to ensure everyone enrolled in CU Health Plans Exclusive, Extended or High Deductible takes steps to fill their prescriptions with no interruptions to their pharmacy coverage. Failure to move long-term maintenance or specialty drugs to an approved CVS outlet will result in the plan member having to pay 100% of the cost for that fill out of pocket.

CU Health Plan members will receive up to three grace refills for every prescription before medications must be transferred. For some enrollees, the time to act may be fast approaching.

Since July, CVS Caremark and CU have sent multiple emails, letters and called enrollees who need to take action — and we’d like to thank everyone who has taken the time to complete the process.

If you have not transferred your medications, please review the information below to get started and to reach out for assistance as needed.

Where to fill prescriptions

To find a pharmacy near you, visit caremark.com, sign in, open the Plan & Benefits menu, and select Pharmacy Locator to search for a nearby pharmacy.

CU’s CVS Pharmacy webpage features a chart that outlines pharmacy types and the prescriptions categories that can be filled at each.

One-time or short-term prescriptions — no changes

• For those filling one-time or short-term prescriptions, such as antibiotics, you may continue to fill your prescriptions at almost any pharmacy — a national network of 68,000 locations including all major chains, supermarket pharmacies, Walgreens, community pharmacies and more.

Long-term maintenance and specialty medications

• Anyone taking long-term maintenance prescriptions — such as those for heart disease, high blood pressure, etc. — will be required to fill these prescriptions in 90-day quantities by mail through the CVS Caremark Mail Service Pharmacy or from a CVS Pharmacy location (including those inside Target stores).
  • There are 56 CVS locations in Colorado. You can choose from a city-by-city list or search by your location.
• Anyone taking specialty prescriptions — typically medications to manage complex conditions — will be required to fill those prescriptions through a CVS Specialty Pharmacy.  
• For CU Health Plans Exclusive, Extended or High Deductible members, these prescriptions can no longer be filled through UCHealth’s mail order pharmacy. (Members of CU Health Plan – Medicare can continue to fill their prescriptions through UCHealth or any pharmacy of their choice.)

How to transfer your prescriptions

For long-term maintenance prescriptions

• To have prescriptions mailed to you: Visit Caremark.com/MailService or call CVS Caremark Customer Care at 1-888-964-0121 to request that CVS Caremark contact your doctor for a new prescription.
   
  • Alternatively, you can ask your doctor to send an electronic prescription to CVS Caremark Mail Service Pharmacy. You can expect to get your medication within 10 business days. (Your doctor should select the following for electronic prescriptions: CVS Caremark MAILSERVICE Pharmacy, One Great Valley Blvd, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18706).
     
• To pick up prescriptions at a CVS Pharmacy: If you currently use a retail network pharmacy other than a stand-alone CVS Pharmacy (or a CVS Pharmacy inside a Target), you can transfer the prescription to a CVS Pharmacy by visiting Caremark.com/MoveMyMeds and enter your Member ID (found on your member ID card). Select the medications you take regularly, and CVS will transfer them to the new pharmacy for you – no need to type in each prescription.

For specialty drugs

• A CVS representative will call you to set up your account and to help ensure the transfer of your prescription goes smoothly.
• If you haven't spoken to a CVS representative, you can call them at 1-855-299-3262, from 5:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. MT Monday to Friday.
• Visit CVSspecialty.com/GetStarted to learn more about CVS Specialty.

If you’ve visited a pharmacy only to find out that you’re out of the three grace refills, the CU Health Plan has options to ensure you get the medications you need. If you begin to run out of medication, contact CVS Caremark Customer Care for assistance. 

Have questions?

Call CVS Caremark Customer Care: 1-888-964-0121

Employee Services recommends calling CU’s dedicated CVS Caremark Customer Care line (instead of your local pharmacy) because their service professionals can answer specific questions about CU Health Plan coverage.

Contact CVS for:

• Questions about coverage or prescription costs.
• Assistance filling three available 30-day refills before moving to a 90-day supply via mail order to CVS pharmacies.
• Assistance locating pharmacies that supply your medications.
• Assistance updating prescriptions with your medical provider.

Contact Employee Services: 1-303-860-4200, option 3

An Employee Services benefits professional can assist you with enrollment concerns, obtaining ID cards and assist in resolving issues in a timely manner.