I just found out the hard way that if you use Aetna Mail order pharmacy that your co pay is the same for a twenty day prescription as it is for a ninety day prescription.
I had to have my prescription renewed and my doctor accidentally made it for 20 days instead of 90 days. When I received my small portion of insulin I made some phone calls and found out what had happened, my doctor immediately
Corrected the prescription but Aetna told me that since it had already been processed there was nothing they would do.
Now in 20 days I have to pay the same price again to get another order.
Has anyone else dealt with this?
Just remember to make sure the doctor sends the right 90 day prescription with refills available if you are going to use mail order. When the process works it works well but when it gets off track Aetna doesn’t understand or care even if it puts you in a financial situation. Good luck with Aetna.
I've had a long and difficult relationship with mail-order pharmacies over the years. A lot of my grief was caused by my own impatience and I'm dealing better with that lately. What I've learned is that it pays to be persistent yet very polite with the front line customer service person. Unfortunately, these workers have neither the knowledge or authority to correct a problem like this. While I try to be patient, I don't hesitate to request a supervisor when I don't get the answer I want from the front line service rep.
As far as I know, your doctor can replace the incorrect Rx with a new one. That's what I would recommend. And then you'll have to over-communicate, with confirming phone calls and letters if necessary, until the pharmacy is delivering what you need. You don't have to continue to live with the incorrect order for the number of refills indicated on the original incorrect Rx. I can't believe that this insurance company has no policy regarding "typos." Anyone can make a mistake.
Your experience with this insurance company further reinforces my belief that insurance companies are no-value-added parasites in the health provision business in the US.
This is why I triple check all prescriptions for accuracy before accepting them. I get my stuff now at a local pharmacy but when I did use mail order pharmacy I went online and reviewed each individual order before I would authorize shipment especially after a refill was sent just to make sure there was no mix up.
I’m sorry about the extra copay.
I had my pharmacy linked to my debit card so it was automatic, I have changed that and now I will pay each one individually after checking
I have Aetna and regularly use the mail order pharmacy. I've had a number of problems and had little success getting the problem corrected without my having to pay for the mistake. The two major things I have had happen are errors in the communication of correct prescription to Aetna Rx and outright pharmacy errors/problems. If you send in your prescriptions on paper through the US mail or review the electronics entry screen before it is sent, you can eliminate most errors in the writing of the prescription and the transmission to Aetna Rx. My endo however faxes in prescriptions and when you depend on your doctor to write a little note in your chart and then happen to send in the right prescription, you set yourself up for problems.
I've had many prescriptions sent in for 30 days instead of 90. I've had wrong quantity. I've be shorted on strips. All these problems I end up having Aetna Rx say they did their job and point the finger back at the doctor. The doctor simply says, "sorry" and sends in a corrected prescription. But even escalation will never get the fulfillment of the original problem prescription transaction reversed.
I've also been shorted and had errors from Aetna Rx. Sometimes they will short you, if your prescription is for ninety days and the pill comes in packs of 20, then you get 80 days. I've not been successful in getting this shorting corrected. So I often describe the problem to the doctor and ask for an over prescription (like 2 pills a day vs 1). I've also had outright errors where I got sent a 30 day supply when the prescription said 90 day. In this case, I've gotten it fixed. In these cases, if you can prove it was an Aetna Rx mistake, you should be able to get it corrected even if you have to escalate it.
In your case, you should be able to have your doctor send in a corrected prescription and then be able to fill a 90 day supply the next time you are up for a refill. Unfortunately, you have probably been scammed out of the extra co-pay and left with no recourse. In the future, if you really with to avoid this problem, then always get a paper prescription or review the screen display of the electronic order.
Not sure if you know this but, you can log onto Aetna Navigator to view the estimated cost of your medication before you place your prescription order. You can compare the cost of filling it with your local pharmacy (30 supply) or Aetna (90 supply).
Oh yes, I am aware of that and the mail order for 90 day supply is 33% cheaper I have done this for almost 3 years. It was actually a DRS. typo mistake, however when the doctor went out of there way and called Aetna to admit to the mistake and asked Aetna to fix it so I would not have to pay the price they would not put any effort into correcting the issue. They told me it was a done deal. Hence the statement " found out the hard way " Aetna is just a big machine and insensitive to the unperfect human element. Absolutely no customer service at all.
You are so right in that Aetna is hard to deal with!
I'm currently fighting them for a lab bill.
IF, you perform your labs IN the Physician's office the copay covers it. But, they claim that it was done outside the office and I'm stuck with the bill. You try to fight it and they give you the run around. I HATE dealing with them!