Walgreen to fill prescriptions for those who don’t have coverage yet

Deerfield-based Walgreen Co. will fill prescriptions at no upfront cost to some patients who don’t have all the information they need for coverage received through the health care overhaul.

The nation’s largest drugstore chain said Monday evening that it will provide up to a 30-day supply of some branded and generic medicines to patients who can confirm their enrollment through the overhaul’s public insurance marketplaces but have yet to receive a plan identification number, which is normally needed to process a claim.

The company’s offer excludes complex and expensive medications like cancer drugs or treatments for rare diseases.

“We understand that all the changes that come with health care reform may create some questions for newly enrolled individuals,” Kermit Crawford, president of pharmacy, health and wellness for Walgreens, said in a news release. “We are deeply committed to helping these patients get, stay and live well by helping them to get their medications without interruption.”

These patients won’t have to pay anything at the pharmacy, but they may receive a bill later for the co-payment their plan requires them to make. The drugstore chain also will collect payment from the insurer once it verifies enrollment.

The overhaul aims to cover millions of uninsured people, with many insurance customers signing up either through state-based insurance exchanges or a federally operated website, www.healthcare.gov. Website crashes and other problems marred the debut of that website last fall.

Insurers also are worried about technical problems that involve the government passing along inaccurate information on enrollees. It remains to be seen whether more complications will crop up when people try to use their benefits in the new year.

The announcement is one of several measures Walgreens is taking to help achieve the smoothest possible transition for those insured as a result of the Affordable Care Act, the company said.

Walgreens is reaching out to insurance companies’ operations groups to request nightly eligibility file updates on health insurance marketplace plan enrollees to help ensure Walgreens pharmacy teams have the most up-to-date coverage information. Walgreens is also encouraging patients who enrolled through the public marketplace to confirm coverage with their insurance company and bring to the pharmacy current benefit information. With that benefit information, Walgreens pharmacy staff will individually review patient benefits and work with the patient’s insurance company directly to confirm benefit eligibility.

To assist newly insured patients, Walgreens is working with United States Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, National Association of Chain Drug Stores and the White House and will remain in frequent conversation to raise any common issues that may arise.

Walgreen closed at $57.44, down -0.40 or -0.69%, in trading Tuesday.

Ÿ Daily Herald wire services contributed to this report.