Quality, Care and Convenience: Express Scripts Presents 4-Star Medicare Prescription Drug Programs for 2016

ST. LOUIS, Oct. 21, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Express Scripts ESRX today announced that its nationally available Express Scripts Medicare^® Prescription Drug Plans (PDP) have earned a 4-Star* quality rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for the second consecutive year.

"Express Scripts Medicare prescription drug plans offer tremendous value to retirees, helping to make their prescription medications affordable and accessible, and their Medicare experience simple and convenient," said Michael Looney, vice president, Medicare prescription drug plans, Express Scripts.  "Earning a 4-star quality and performance rating from CMS demonstrates the strength of our offering and our ability to provide retirees with reliable Medicare Part D coverage."

Each year, CMS rates the relative quality of the private plans that are offered to Medicare beneficiaries on a scale of one to five, with five stars representing the highest quality**. To determine the ratings, CMS conducts a thorough evaluation of the plan across broad categories such as customer service, patient safety and feedback from beneficiaries currently using the plan. The summary score provides an unbiased, overall measure of a plan's quality.

"The decision Medicare beneficiaries make for their Part D coverage in the coming weeks can have a significant impact on their health and their budget," said Looney. "Cost will always be a priority for those who live on a fixed income, but the quality of a plan is equally important.  Star Ratings are not just about service – they rate a plan's ability to help improve a beneficiary's health, and they should be a top consideration when choosing a plan."

Care, Convenience and Cost Savings
Express Scripts 2016 Medicare Value and Choice plans offer many ways for retirees to save on their prescription medications, offering  $0 or $1 copayments, respectively, for 31- and 90- day supplies of Tier 1 generic medications when using one of the more than 28,000 pharmacies in the plans' preferred pharmacy network.  The network includes more than 8,200 Walgreens pharmacies nationwide and more than 20,059 community pharmacies.  For Tier 2 generics, retirees can save up to 40 percent on co-pays in the Value plan, or up to 75 percent on co-pays in the Choice plan when using the preferred pharmacy network.  Both plans offer significant discounts on preferred and non-preferred brand name medications in the preferred pharmacy network as well, and access to a broader network of more than 66,000 retail pharmacies nationwide.

Enrollees in each of these plans also have access to the cost savings and convenience of home delivery from the Express Scripts Pharmacy^SM†. Express Scripts Medicare Choice plan offers a $0 deductible for Tier 1 and Tier 2 generics, and $0 copayment for 90-day supplies of Tier 1 generics, with home delivery from the Express Scripts Pharmacy, making it a great option for patients who take generic medications on an ongoing basis and want coverage from day one. 

Specialty Pharmacy Care
Both Express Scripts Choice and Value cover 75 percent of the costs, after the deductible, for specialty medications – high-cost drugs that treat complex, chronic conditions and usually involve more complicated administration, such as self-injection.  Our teams of specialist pharmacists and nurses – who have enhanced condition-specific training and experience – offer patients who use these medications with ongoing personalized care and support to ensure optimal health outcomes.

"Express Scripts Medicare Part D plans consistently earn high Star Ratings from Medicare because we take extra steps to offer seniors with customized support to help them stay healthy and make the most of their benefit," said Looney. "24/7 access to Medicare advisors and pharmacists, additional opportunities to save money and clinical support to stay healthy provide our customers with a high value, high quality Medicare experience."

Enrollment for the 2016 plan year begins October 15, 2015, and ends December 7, 2015 with coverage beginning on January 1, 2016.  Both the Choice and Value plans offer coverage for more than 3,000 medications and are offered in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

To learn more about the Express Scripts Medicare plan options and sign up for a free open enrollment email reminder, visit <www.Express-ScriptsMedicare.com/info>, or call toll-free <1-866-544-3794>. TTY users should call 1-800-716-3231.

Disclaimers
Express Scripts Medicare ^® (PDP) is a prescription drug plan with a Medicare contract. Enrollment in Express Scripts depends on contract renewal. The benefit information provided in this release is a brief summary, not a complete description of benefits. For more information, contact the plan. Limitations, copayments, and restrictions may apply. Benefits, formulary, pharmacy network, premium and/or copayments/coinsurance may change on January 1 of each year.

† Other pharmacies are available in our network.
*3.5 stars in the state of NY. 
**Medicare evaluates plans based on a 5-Star rating system. Star Ratings are calculated each year and may change from one year to the next. Medicare Star Ratings for plans can be found at http://www.medicare.gov.

About Express Scripts
Express Scripts puts medicine within reach of tens of millions of people by aligning with plan sponsors, taking bold action and delivering patient-centered care to make better health more affordable and accessible.

Headquartered in St. Louis, Express Scripts provides integrated pharmacy benefit management services, including network-pharmacy claims processing, home delivery pharmacy care, specialty pharmacy care, specialty benefit management, benefit-design consultation, drug utilization review, formulary management, and medical and drug data analysis services. Express Scripts also distributes a full range of biopharmaceutical products and provides extensive cost-management and patient-care services.

For more information, visit Lab.Express-Scripts.com or follow @ExpressScripts on Twitter.

Media Contact:
Jennifer Luddy                                                 
Express Scripts                                                 
201-269-6402                                                                    
Jennifer_Luddy@express-scripts.com                                  

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