Walgreens and Express Script

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walgreens for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Walgreens is just down the road from me. Actually there are a few of them within a 10 mile radius of where I live. Something that I have always gone to Walgreens for is the pharmacy (among other things). Recently, there has been some changes to contracts that were held with Walgreens that were beneficial to many individuals and families. Perhaps you've heard of Express Scripts program. You may even be a user of this program. If so, do you know of the changes that have been set in place between Walgreens and Express Script? I kept hearing about it on the local radio stations but wasn't quite sure what was going on.

The contract expired December 31, 2011, making it so that Express Script members can no longer go to Walgreens as a part of the Express Script pharmacy provider network. It affects all Walgreens nationwide and Duane Reade pharmacies in the New York City area. It is best to check with your local Walgreens pharmacist to find out for sure if you’re impacted. Patients who are affected by this change may be forced to travel farther than they are used to and even change pharmacies. It's an inconvenience that doesn't make very much sense to me. According to the Associated Press, "Walgreen fills one out of every five prescriptions in the U.S., and it filled about 819 million prescriptions in its last fiscal year. The company has about 7,800 stores."

It would be imaginable that customers are confused, scrambling or plain and simply upset over this change. The alliance between Express Scripts and Walgreens was in place for years. People were used to being able to drive to their (most likely) local Walgreens for prescription filling.

Walgreens is attempting to ease the transition with the Walgreens Prescription Savings Club. For $10 a year, a family membership covers everyone in your immediate family, including a spouse, dependents 22 and younger and pets (I've never heard of that!). Individuals may join for $5. Membership also gives discount prices on prescriptions. There are other benefits of membership which include savings on over 8,000 brand-name and generic medications; discounts on flu shots, pet prescriptions, nebulizers and diabetic supplies; and bonuses from Walgreens brand products and photo services.

Follow Walgreens on Twitter or check them out at Walgreens on Facebook to be aware of updates.