Walmart-CVS Caremark split: Filling your prescriptions is going to get harder

Zlati Meyer
Updated

Getting prescriptions filled at Walmart will soon become tougher for some people.

The retail giant has decided to leave the pharmacy benefit management subsidiary CVS Caremark over a disagreement about higher reimbursement rates. This means individuals who get CVS drug benefits through their employers and Medicaid enrollees will no longer be able to get their prescriptions drugs at Walmart.

CVS Health said Tuesday that it has invited Walmart to stay in its network through April 30.

Unaffected are Medicare Part D enrollees and the people who fill their prescriptions at the Walmart discount warehouse chain Sam's Club, CVS said.

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A manager at a CVS in Chicago is facing backlash after
A manager at a CVS in Chicago is facing backlash after

"At a time when everyone is working hard to find ways to reduce health care costs, Walmart's requested rates would ultimately result in higher costs for our clients and consumers," CVS Caremark president Derica Rice said in a statement.

People impacted by this change will be notified and given information about which other of the 63,000-plus pharmacies are in-network and near them, according to CVS. Fewer than 5 percent of affected CVS Caremark members currently go only to Walmart to fill their prescriptions.

Walmart said in a statement that it's dedicated to providing its customers with "accessible and affordable" healthcare.

"An important way we do that is to make sure our partners are working with us in good faith to establish fair and equitable terms, so we can pass savings to our customers through everyday low prices," the company said. "But we don’t want to give that value to the middle man....Walmart is standing up to CVS’s behaviors that are putting pressure on pharmacies and disrupting patient care."

The retailer said it's focusing on continuing discussions with CVS Caremark.

The Walmart break-up isn't expected to have a material impact on the financial results of CVS Health in 2019, the company said.

Follow USA TODAY reporter Zlati Meyer on Twitter: @ZlatiMeyer

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Walmart-CVS Caremark split: Filling your prescriptions is going to get harder