CVS review: Wasted trips to pharmacy

Saturday, Oct 14, 3pm CDT

I am glad it's time again when I can change my Medicare Part D provider for next year.

After many years with AARP United Health Care Walgreens, I switched the Part D (drug coverage) to Aetna Medicare CVS Caremark. Nearly two years of hassles with the local CVS store pharmacy have convinced me that the price savings in monthly premiums are no bargain.

There are many meds that CVS and Caremark will not allow mail order nor even local delivery by an UBER-Eats type service. Many meds cannot be ordered online via their websites nor set to auto-refill.

I am bombarded with emails, phone calls and text messages telling me that a refill is possible on a certain date. When I go ahead and respond that they can do the refill, a day or so later another med is eligible. So I order that one. My wife who works full-time in Memphis tries to get to their pharmacy before or after her work commute and on weekends. Inevitably there will be a line at the drive-through. (Sometimes that is due to pharmacist meal breaks.) When it is her turn, they cannot locate the portion of my meds that was not filled on the same date as others.

That also happens when it was a med they do not keep in stock, so we must await an order from their supplier. She is told that my home phone or my cell phone will be called when it is found.

Caremark phone support is of little help, even when I get someone who can speak American English.