No prescription gift cards for federal employees?

[Lewisc]

The theory is the patient is responsible for paying the copay. Any discounts/promotions belong to the party paying the rest of the cost of the script. I think, but aren't 100% sure, some states have the same rule for all scripts.

The $4 generic drugs are cheaper then out co-pays; at least for many of us. It always pays to see if a generic or even OTC drug is appropriate.

 

[kaytieeldr]

State laws and "wants" are superseeded by the federal goverment. Sorry, but the US Goverment views ALL the 'healthcare' it funds as a federally funded benefit.

Respectfully, no. You all are missing a key word in the exception: government benefit programs. Examples of government benefit programs are Social Security, Supplemental Security Income, Medicare, Medicaid, Food Stamps, Energy Assistance, Emergency Food Assistance, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families...

Employment is NOT a "program". It's a job; the typical full-time job typically comes with benefits. Simply because the person is employed by the federal government doesn't make their employment benefits a 'benefit program'. It makes their benefits benefits. As such, they're entitled to use coupons and earn gift cards.

OP, have your coworker contact Consumer Affairs.

 

[Lewisc]

kaytieeldr--The issue is who should be getting the promotion, gift card. The party paying a small co-pay or the party paying most of the cost of the script. It may not even be a case of state law vs federal law. It might be part of the contract between the pharmacy and whatever company is administering the plan. The theory is if Target can afford a $25 gift card then Target can afford to fill the script for $25 less then the negotiated price.

Network doctor's are really allowed to waive all or party of their copay. Same theory. The patient is responsible for the co-pay. The insurance company/employer if self-insured is responsible for the balance. Any discounting belongs to the part of the bill paid by the insurance company.

Note the program isn't valid in MA.

 

[Swimalie]

kaytieeldr--The issue is who should be getting the promotion, gift card. The party paying a small co-pay or the party paying most of the cost of the script. It may not even be a case of state law vs federal law. It might be part of the contract between the pharmacy and whatever company is administering the plan. The theory is if Target can afford a $25 gift card then Target can afford to fill the script for $25 less then the negotiated price.

Network doctor's are really allowed to waive all or party of their copay. Same theory. The patient is responsible for the co-pay. The insurance company/employer if self-insured is responsible for the balance. Any discounting belongs to the part of the bill paid by the insurance company.

Note the program isn't valid in MA.

Then this would apply to anyone, with any health insurance provided by an employer, not just govt employees.

 

[midas]

My husband is a federal employee. I don't know about gift cards, but I have always been able to use manufacturer rebates and coupons for our prescriptions. I go to a small neighborhood pharmacy, not a chain. Doubt that has anything to do with it, but you never know.

That has everything to do with it. These coupons require the pharmacist to enter the numbers as a second insurance plan and submit the copay. It's up to the pharmacist to see if the primary insurance is a government plan. If they don't and give the coupon to everyone, at some point they will be audited and will have to pay back any money they received for the non-allowed plans.

Most of the chain pharmacies can put the blocks in their computer systems at the corporate level and the individual store pharmacists don't have any control over it.

 

[Piecey]

That has everything to do with it. These coupons require the pharmacist to enter the numbers as a second insurance plan and submit the copay. It's up to the pharmacist to see if the primary insurance is a government plan. If they don't and give the coupon to everyone, at some point they will be audited and will have to pay back any money they received for the non-allowed plans.

Most of the chain pharmacies can put the blocks in their computer systems at the corporate level and the individual store pharmacists don't have any control over it.

They have. I tried to use a gift card coupon at Rite Aid awhile back and their system kicked it back. The pharmacist didn't know why, called someone, they asked if we had medicare/medicaid (we don't) and the person told him how to push it through.

I learned on the CVS thread after that it's because we have a federal plan that it beeped at them and wouldn't let the gift card go through. They did override it and give it to me, but I guess they shouldn't have.

DH is a federal employee, though we don't have a BC/BS policy. Whenever I fill a script the "insurance benefit" portion is $0 99% of the time. I've only ever seen something there twice- once with a brand name and another time for an antibiotic... So I always assumed we can't get gift cards because our insurance has such low contracted rates for medications.

 

[ajh88]

Disagree. Welfare is a government benefit program. Fuel assistance is a government benefit program. Food stamps (or whatever they're called now - SNAP? - is a government benefit program. A typical employee benefit, simply because one happens to be employed by a government entity? NOT a government benefit program.

OP, have your coworker contact the Consumer Affairs Department in your state.

I will politely disagree - the specific wording is "federal healthcare program". This includes federal employee insurance.

I would say that it is certainly NOT an issue for the Consumer Affairs Department - the coupon was denied in accordance with current law and regulation. If the law makes you unhappy, contact your state representatives, Board of Pharmacy, etc.

 

[cm8]

I work for the Federal Government. Most of my co-workers and I have health insurance through the Federal Employee Program. Pretty much the same as any other insurance program. We pay our premiums and our employers (the Government) pays the rest.

One of my co-workers have Blue Cross/Blue Shield through the Federal Employees program. Yesterday she tried to use a coupon at K-Mart...free gift card with a new or transferred prescription. The pharmacist on duty refused to accept the coupon. The coupon stated it could not be used for any government benefit program. And since we were federal employees, we were on a government benefit program.

My friend was upset. To her and me, a government benefit program means something like Medicare or the state medical cards for uninsured children. It does not mean insurance for government employees.

She took back the prescription order and will try at another K-Mart tonight. But what do y'all think about that? Are we not able to use government coupons, strictly because we are federal employees?

Tricare can't use them either, it is till considered "federal government"

 

[Lewisc]

Then this would apply to anyone, with any health insurance provided by an employer, not just govt employees.

It does in MA.

 

[disney1990]

I know at Target, the pharmacist said that the gift cards were not eligible if they were on medicare. Can't get something for nothing.

I had to pick up a new prescription for my aunt the other week. She's always gotten the gift cards in the past, so I knew she should get it. The girl that rang me up tossed in the coupon book, which I knew had the $10 GC coupon in the back. I asked, well aren't you going to give me the gift card? She went back and double checked on the computer to see that my aunt also had Humana on top of medicare.

That's when she told me, that if you're on a free program, you can't get it. But I would think that to be a bunch of bull if you're paying into your own medical insurance. You're not getting it for free. Has your friend tried the Target Pharmacies yet??

DH is on Medicare and our Target had no problem giving us the Gift Card on his last prescription. I guess it all depends on who helps you at the store.

 

[edk35]

I work for the Federal Government. Most of my co-workers and I have health insurance through the Federal Employee Program. Pretty much the same as any other insurance program. We pay our premiums and our employers (the Government) pays the rest.

One of my co-workers have Blue Cross/Blue Shield through the Federal Employees program. Yesterday she tried to use a coupon at K-Mart...free gift card with a new or transferred prescription. The pharmacist on duty refused to accept the coupon. The coupon stated it could not be used for any government benefit program. And since we were federal employees, we were on a government benefit program.

My friend was upset. To her and me, a government benefit program means something like Medicare or the state medical cards for uninsured children. It does not mean insurance for government employees.

She took back the prescription order and will try at another K-Mart tonight. But what do y'all think about that? Are we not able to use government coupons, strictly because we are federal employees?

My husband is a federal employee and we have used them before....it has been a few years but they were used. I am thinking the pharmacist was wrong.

 

[mbethel]

In the last year, my dad (retired military) lost his extra gas perks at the local Kroger because he has a federal insurance program (tricare). After years of getting cents off at the gas pump (based on how much he spent with his Kroger card) he lost his bonus in spite of still paying the same amount out of pocket for prescriptions. Seems trite as it's such a small amount but annoying nonetheless! After that I started noticing that most special offers at pharmacies exclude government programs. While I'm very thankful for our tricare insurance, I surely think my husband earns every penny of it with his active duty service! I'm glad to see the people who are able to get the special offers!

 

[LadyBeBop]

Haven't heard from my friend about if she was able to get the gift card. She was sick Thursday (unrelated to the prescription), so she couldn't get to K Mart. And I was off on scheduled leave yesterday.

In the last year, my dad (retired military) lost his extra gas perks at the local Kroger because he has a federal insurance program (tricare). After years of getting cents off at the gas pump (based on how much he spent with his Kroger card) he lost his bonus in spite of still paying the same amount out of pocket for prescriptions. Seems trite as it's such a small amount but annoying nonetheless!

Do you mean you lost your entire gas perks at Krogers? Even the perks earned when you do your regular food shopping? That doesn't seem right.

We don't go to the Krogers' pharmacy; we to to CVS. So we have our entire gas perks.

However, come to think of it, aren't we supposed to get an extra care buck for every two prescriptions? We haven't gotten that in a while. I'm now thinking it's because we have federal insurance.

 

[starwood]

In NJ you can't use those coupons unless you are over 60.

 

[bsusanmb]

I work for the Federal Government. Most of my co-workers and I have health insurance through the Federal Employee Program. Pretty much the same as any other insurance program. We pay our premiums and our employers (the Government) pays the rest.

One of my co-workers have Blue Cross/Blue Shield through the Federal Employees program. Yesterday she tried to use a coupon at K-Mart...free gift card with a new or transferred prescription. The pharmacist on duty refused to accept the coupon. The coupon stated it could not be used for any government benefit program. And since we were federal employees, we were on a government benefit program.

My friend was upset. To her and me, a government benefit program means something like Medicare or the state medical cards for uninsured children. It does not mean insurance for government employees.

She took back the prescription order and will try at another K-Mart tonight. But what do y'all think about that? Are we not able to use government coupons, strictly because we are federal employees?

we are Fed gov employees also and pay $5000 a year for our fed BC/BS and I certainly don't consider this a gov BENEFIT program. We are offered choices of insurance, and this is it...I am an RN and I have always had partially paid health insurance by my employers...what is the difference here??? We pay a LOT out of pocket for our presciptions on fed BC/BS...$75 for certain antibiotics...how is that a gov benefit???? I think this is a misinterpretation of the rules.

 

[starwood]

The coupon in the Target paper today said federal insurance (i.e. Medicare, Medicaid).

 

[LadyBeBop]

Update. My friend did get the gift card...for $1.50. Seems the coupon said it was up to a $20 gift card, not to exceed the value of the coupon. Since the copay was $1.50, the gift card was for $1.50.

 

[quentina]

I'm confused--what do you mean by "the Federal Government is paying the "employee piece" of the coverage"?

t l

Most large companies self insure. How we do it is we pay BCBS a premium to use their network. They process the bill and send it to the company who pays it. The company will also pay a % of the bill for the processing fee.

Many people believe that BCBS pays the bill however; it is the employer.