| The San Antonio Fire and Police Pensioners’ Association is providing the following message from the Healthcare Fund representatives. Please remember that SAFPPA has no direct relationship with the operation of the HeatlhCare Fund. We are providing this notice as a courtesy to our members. Members, |
I am writing to you today, to discuss changes that we are implementing that will directly benefit our membership. Our prescription plan is currently managed by “Capital RX.” Our mail order pharmacy is subcontracted by Capital RX (our plan manager), to “OptumRx.” We have been made aware of numerous member complaints, regarding OptumRx, in filling member prescriptions. Capital RX (our plan manager) has tried unsuccessfully to rectify those issues. It is time for a change.
OptumRx operates within a rigid business model that is problematic when it comes to serving our membership. The unfortunate result of this inflexibility has resulted in our membership being under-served. Capital RX has advised us that we have the contractual ability to “opt out” with regards to using OptumRx as our mail order pharmacy. For the convenience and benefit of our members, we have decided to switch our mail order pharmacy to “Costco.”
Costco is an American multinational corporation and is one of the largest retailers in the World. They have a very customer service oriented approach to doing business; and we believe that they will be better suited to provide the kind of pharmaceutical service that our members deserve and expect. Due to their strong local presence in the San Antonio area, they will be able to provide a more comprehensive form of service. If you wish to go to their store, they have four (4) storefront locations here in San Antonio, where you can pick up a 90-day supply of your medications. For any questions on the process for in-store pick up, contact a benefit specialist at The Retiree Healthcare Fund at 1-866-652-4237. Otherwise your prescriptions will be mailed directly to you for convenience as is the current practice.
Beginning June 1, 2025, our new mail-order pharmacy provider will be Costco Mail Order and Costco Specialty Pharmacy. CapitalRx will send letters with detailed information about the Costco Mail Order and Specialty Pharmacy. New ID cards are scheduled to be mailed in May. Members can start registering on the Costco member portal at pharmacy.costco.com beginning May 1, 2025. There is no need to register with CapitalRx again. For assistance with registering on the member portal or for questions about our new mail and specialty pharmacy, please contact our Benefits Specialist at The Retiree Healthcare Fund at 1-866-652-4237. Please visit our website at www.thefundsa.org for information on mid-year changes to the medical plan regarding GLP-1 drugs.
In conclusion, we believe this move will benefit all of our members. As always, we will continue to monitor our providers, to assure that your insurance needs are being met.
As your representatives both myself and Frank Gutierrez are always open to meeting with you on any issues or answer any questions.
Michael Despres mdespres@thefundsa.org
Frank Gutierrez fgutierrez@thefunds.org
