Congresswoman and Navy veteran Elaine Luria is leading an effort calling on Congressional leadership to temporarily eliminate copays on mail-order prescriptions for military families and retirees with Tricare during the coronavirus pandemic.
Now that many retirees and military families are barred from installation pharmacies and have to turn to mail-order services to fill their prescriptions, that means they'll have to pay copays for their medication.
Luria, a Democrat representing Virginia in the House, is calling on leaders in Congress to prevent that in the next COVID-19 relief package.
More than 50 other lawmakers have signed on to Luria's plan, along with 13 Veteran Service Organizations.
“During this unprecedented health crisis, it is vital to practice social distancing and protect military families and mission-critical personnel at military treatment facilities,” Luria said in a news release. “By temporarily eliminating the copay on mail-order prescriptions, we can ensure that Tricare beneficiaries can access their medicine without endangering themselves or others."
In 2020, a 90-day supply of a generic drug is $10 and the copay for name-brand drugs is $29, according to adjustments made in the fiscal year 2018 National Defense Authorization Act. But if Tricare beneficiaries fulfill their prescriptions at installation pharmacies, they typically don't pay copays.
With military pharmacies closing or limiting access, family members and retirees are forced to go elsewhere for their prescriptions. But temporarily eliminating copays for mail-order prescriptions "will ease this unexpected financial burden on veterans and their families," Luria said.
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