Transition to Express Scripts: What to do when you need a refill

When selecting Express Scripts to administer our prescription drug program, the Board of Pensions took great care to ensure the transition would be as smooth as possible for our members, especially those who require medications on an ongoing basis.*

If you used OptumRx to fill prescriptions for long-term medications, the action you will need to take when using Express Scripts for the first time will vary depending on whether or not you had remaining refills or if your prescription had expired, as well as whether you obtain your medication at the pharmacy or through mail order.

At the pharmacy

You can continue to refill prescriptions for up to a 90-day supply of your medication as you normally would when using a retail pharmacy. Simply present your new Express Scripts ID card.

If you haven't yet received your new ID cards from Express Scripts, you can use the Express Scripts website to download a card or use the Express Scripts mobile app to access a virtual ID card you can show at the pharmacy.

By mail

Home delivery from Express Scripts Pharmacy provides an affordable way for you to get your daily medications delivered to you with free standard shipping.

If you had current remaining refills with OptumRx home delivery, those refills were transferred to Express Scripts January 2; you won't need to get a new prescription from your doctor. However, you must take action to start home delivery through Express Scripts for transferred prescriptions — even if you had automatic refills set up with OptumRx.

There are two ways to set up Express Scripts Pharmacy home delivery for transferred prescriptions:

1. Call Express Scripts at 800-344-3896. Retired members should call 877-856-4694.
2. Log on to the Express Scripts website (or use the single sign-on feature through Benefits Connect) and follow these steps:
• From the homepage, click on Available Refills to see prescriptions with current remaining refills as of December 31, 2020, that were transferred from OptumRx.
• Add the desired medication(s) to your cart and proceed to checkout where you will need to provide your address and payment information.
• During checkout, you have the option to start automatic refills through Express Scripts Pharmacy home delivery. If you used automatic refills with OptumRx, your shipping and payment information was not transferred to Express Scripts, so refills cannot be processed automatically until you start them through Express Scripts.

Refills that require a new prescription

In some cases, you will need to get a new prescription from your doctor to refill a medication through Express Scripts. The following prescriptions were not transferred from OptumRx to Express Scripts so you will not see them listed under Available Refills:

• controlled substances
• long-term medications with no remaining refills
• expired prescriptions even if there were remaining refills (Depending on the drug, prescriptions expire after six months to one year from the date the prescription was written.)

If the prescription was filled in 2020, it will be listed as part of your claims history on the Express Scripts website. To view, log on to the Express Scripts website, click on Prescriptions and select Claims & Balances from the drop-down menu. Then click on Prescription Claims & History and select Last 12 months. In addition to prescriptions filled through mail order in 2020, you will also see medications you obtained at retail pharmacies last year.

If you need a refill for a prescription that was not transferred from OptumRx, ask your doctor to e-prescribe or fax a new prescription for up to a 90-day supply to Express Scripts. Or call Express Scripts at 800-344-3896 and they will contact your doctor for a renewal on your behalf. Retired members should call 877-856-4694.

Once the prescription has been filled through Express Scripts you can order future refills online using the Express Scripts website and set up automatic refills.

*The change to Express Scripts does not apply for members enrolled in Triple-S or GeoBlue.