Packing Prescriptions – Go mail-order

Before I retired, I worked for a company as a corporate employee benefits director. Our company’s health plan limited some prescription refills to a 30-day supply. If someone went to a pharmacy and tried to get more than a 30-day supply, the pharmacy would need to get permission from the insurance company. It was our human resources department that would authorize a “vacation override” with the insurance company.

However, if the prescription was for a narcotic, such as Vicodin or OxyContin, this override would take some work (and time). In that case, the employee would likely need to have his doctor get involved and go through a prolonged appeals process. Even then, there were no guarantees of how much would be allowed to be dispensed.

If you are on a maintenance medication, using a mail-order program will allow you to fill a 90-day prescription immediately when the next refill is allowed, and you’ll easily have a 120- to 160-day supply on hand before the trip. 

JULIE ADAMIK

Carlsbad, CA