Walgreens Launches RX Coverage Advisor to Streamline Medicare

Need to Know

• As Medicare enrollment approaches in the U.S., Walgreens has launched a tool to help customers more easily navigate available coverage options.
• The Find Rx Coverage Advisor will provide info including available local health plans (including Medicaid, Medicare Advantage, and Medicare Part D), prescription savings options, and other personalized details.
• The tool is only available on the Walgreens website and mobile app.

Analysis

In order to help U.S. consumers better navigate their available healthcare coverage, pharmacy chain Walgreens has launched the Find Rx Coverage Advisor, a tool that will display relevant coverage information to consumers across the United States.

The Find Rx Coverage Advisor tool, which is only available on the Walgreens website and mobile app, uses consumer information to build a personalized report detailing available health coverage options. Users answer a few questions and are shown essential information including the availability of health plans in their area, including Medicaid, marketplace health plans, Medicare Advantage (which is Medicare provided by private-sector insurance), and Medicare Part D (which is prescription coverage) plans. Walgreens will also show customers whether prescription savings are available to them. Medicare enrolment for U.S. residents opens on October 15, making the launch of the Find Rx Coverage Advisor particularly well-timed.

The tool also features a self-serve section, listing commonly asked healthcare questions, focusing mainly on job loss, and the insurance loss that may have come with that, as many U.S. residents are investigating new healthcare options due to employment changes brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Shifts in health insurance coverage because of job loss, life events or as you qualify for Medicare Part D can be a complicated maze of options,” Rick Gates, senior vice president of pharmacy for Walgreens said in a statement. “As champions of patient choice and prescription affordability, Walgreens collaborates with and accepts a wide range of health plans and benefits. This allows us to provide our customers with trusted resources to help find the right health insurance option for them.”

The announcement of the Find RX Coverage Advisor comes just months after Walgreens unveiled its Prescription Savings Club, which offers savings of up to 80% off retail prices for thousands of medication. The Prescription Savings Club costs $20 per year. Walgreens has also expanded a number of its in-store healthcare services during the COVID-19 pandemic, including early refill authorizations, and waiving delivery fees during shelter-in-place orders.

In addition to expanding its in-store offerings, Walgreens has improved its digital experience, having invested $1-billion in tech improvements in 2018. Walgreens saw its digital sales reached more than $3.7 billion in the first quarter of 2020, and its app—which will now host the Find Rx Coverage Advisor tool—has been downloaded more than 60 million times.