medco, am i out of luck?

[bill c]

just started pumping in june , i have bcbs nys teamsters health plan and had caremark perscription plan which covered all my pumping supplies. i now have medco and thier telling me that none of my pump supplies are covered. i dont want to go back on lantus. has onyone else run into this with medco?

[Funnygrl]

Medco doesn't cover pumping supplies. They only cover drugs and strips. Your medical insurance should cover pump supplies.

[bill c]

thanks, i guess i'll start making calls tomorow...

[JanTx]

I also have Medco. That's where I order strips and drugs for a copay fee. My pumping supplies will either come from Minimed or a mail order supplier my doctor recommends - CCS? - some letters anyway. They are covered 80% and I am billed for the other 20% (I'm still using the 3-months that came with the pump so I know what the plan is, but haven't done it yet.)

[notme]

Your pump supplies are now considered "durable medical equipment". Medco does not have these supplies. I had Medco and I always got my supplies for free (or close to it) through MiniMed.

[JasonJayhawk]

As everyone else has said, MedCo only provides items that you would find behind the counter at your pharmacy.

Your DME policy is what you should look at for your pump supplies. Some people have unlimited DME, others have $5K a year, and others might have a max of $2K per year. It depends on your company -- every company is different.

[aeromarv]

I'm running into this problem with United Healthcare. Funny thing is, I emailed medco last week, and they say, yes, they have the infusion sets and reserviors for minimeds! I've yet to confirm if they really do or not.

[Lizzy]

I get both my strips and pump supplies through DME with no co-pay. The meds come from Medco for $5 co-pay for three months supply.

[JanTx]

Wow. My co-pay at Medco is $62.50 for 3 months on preferred meds. $112.50 for three months of non-preferred. My son who is severely asthmatic and on as many drugs as I am has a $1500 cap on drug benefits. Last year he ran out of that in October. This year it was July. He has a new job with new insurance which should start Dec. 1 so we're hoping for better than that.

[bill c]

i called bcbs and they gave me a short list of suppliers in my area where i can get pump supplies, after $100 out of pocket deductable per year they will cover 80%. this will still be alot more than the $50 copay for a three month supply that i was getting from caremark, at least it's still covered....

[desert_reefer]

I unfortunatlly work for Satan er I mean Medco, We definatlly carry supplies it's just up to your group/plan if they will cover them. Durable medical should cover them if rx coverage doesn't.