Starting this week, Tricare beneficiaries who fill their prescriptions at retail pharmacies or by mail will see most co-payments increase by $3.

The fiscal 2015 National Defense Authorization Act required Tricare to increase most pharmacy co-payments. Under the new fee structure, which went into effect Sunday, 30-day prescriptions at Tricare network pharmacies for generic medications will rise to $8, from $5, for brand names, to $20, from $17, and for medicines not in Tricare's formulary, to $47, from $44.

Many prescriptions available through Tricare's home delivery program also will see increases. According to Tricare, a 90-day supply of brand-name medications delivered by mail will rise to $16, from $13, and nonformulary items will cost $46, up from $43.

Mail-order generic drugs will still be available at no cost, as will all prescriptions filled at military pharmacies.

According to Tricare, the new increases override previous regulations passed by Congress that connected pharmacy co-payment increases to the annual retiree cost-of-living adjustment.

The new law also includes a provision requiring Tricare patients who take name-brand medications for chronic conditions to fill them at a military pharmacy or with the Tricare home delivery program starting Oct. 1.

Details have yet to be released on the new program, but it essentially will force Tricare beneficiaries to use military pharmacies or mail order for prescriptions for long-term medical conditions unless they use generic brands.

Beneficiaries still will be able to fill prescriptions for name-brand drugs for acute illnesses at Tricare network retail pharmacies as well as prescriptions for generic brands, which will cost $8 for a 30-day prescription.

About Patricia Kime

Patricia Kime is a senior writer covering military and veterans health care, medicine and personnel issues.

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