Tricare beneficiaries who use their prescription drug benefit to obtain certain over-the-counter medications will be able to continue doing so, officials with the Defense Health Agency announced Thursday.
Starting Feb. 1, Tricare's over-the-counter drug coverage benefit will become permanent, allowing beneficiaries to receive some medications at pharmacies or by mail for the same price they pay for a generic medication.
Under the program, patients must have a doctor's prescription for the over-the-counter drug and will pay $10 for a 30-day prescription at a retail store or nothing for a 90-day prescription through the home-delivery program. The medications also are available at no cost to patients at military pharmacies.
Covered medications include the antihistamines cetirizine and loratadine, Plan B One Step Emergency Contraceptive (available without a prescription and without a co-pay), and omeprazole, the generic version of Prilosec OTC.
Prilosec OTC will no longer be covered but the prescription version of Prilosec will.
For more information, contact the Tricare pharmacy benefits manager Express Scripts at (877) 363-1303.
Patricia Kime covers military and veterans' health care and medicine for Military Times. She can be reached at pkime@militarytimes.com
Patricia Kime is a senior writer covering military and veterans health care, medicine and personnel issues.
