Save Money with a Preferred Pharmacy

Save Money with a Preferred Pharmacy

Save Money with a Preferred Pharmacy

Did you know your health plan may offer a preferred pharmacy network? By using a preferred pharmacy, you may pay the lowest out of pocket cost on covered prescription drugs.

With your Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois prescription drug plan, you save money if you use a pharmacy in the network.

Some plans may also include a preferred pharmacy network.* When you choose a preferred pharmacy, you may save the most money when you fill  your covered prescriptions at these locations. You can also fill up to a 90-day supply of many covered drugs in the store or through home delivery.

Find a Preferred Pharmacy

Whether you are at home, the office or on the go, you can find your preferred pharmacy network locations on MyPrime.com. leaving site icon

After signing into MyPrime.com, leaving site icon your pharmacy network will automatically appear. If your plan includes preferred pharmacies, you can filter by “Preferred pharmacies” in your search results.

You can also search without logging in.

  1. Visit MyPrime.com, leaving site icon click “Pharmacies,” and select “Continue without sign in.”
  2. Select your Health Plan as “BCBS Illinois.”
  3. Select “No” to being a Medicare Part D member and “Other BCBSIL Plans” as the Health Plan Type, then select “Continue.”
  4. On the Find a Pharmacy page, select "Preferred Network" and press “Submit.”
  5. On the Pharmacy Search Results page, select “Retail,” then enter your city, state, ZIP code or address to search for pharmacies in your network. Since all in-network retail pharmacies will be listed, you can filter by “Preferred pharmacies” to find specific locations in your Preferred Pharmacy Network.

Do you have questions about your prescription drug benefit or MyPrime.com? leaving site icon Sign up for Connect updates or leave a comment below.

Additional Information

Remember, not all pharmacies are in your health plan’s pharmacy network. Please note changes to the pharmacies may be made in the future.

Before you choose the closest one to you, find out if it is in your network. If it isn’t, you may want to go a little further to get your prescriptions filled. Your out-of-pocket costs are highest when you choose an out-of-network pharmacy.

In fact, some plans don’t provide out-of-network pharmacy benefits. You may end up paying the full cost for your prescriptions.

Check your benefits to see if you have a preferred pharmacy network. You can also call the Customer Service number listed on your Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois member ID card.

*Preferred Pharmacy Network pricing isn’t available for 100% cost-sharing or HMO plans. Members with an HMO plan can use select pharmacies in their network to fill 30- or 90-day supplies of covered prescriptions.

Originally published 4/1/2016; Revised 2020, 2021, 2022

Anonymous
  • Hello AlexMKatz.  We would have to look at  your plan to see why that would be happening.  Please send us a private message and I can have our team reach out to you to discuss. - Renee

  • My BCBSIL card says that I have $0 co-pays and $0 co-insurance, and yet my network preferred pharmacy (Walgreens) continues to charge me co-pays and co-insurance.  Can you please explain why this is happening?  Since January 1, 2017, I have the Blue Choice Preferred Bronze 106 plan.  Thanks.

  • Hi . As we have always done, we will work with Prime to re-evaluate the network on an ongoing basis to ensure our members

    have continued access to quality, affordable health care. However, in order for us to maintain affordable benefits for

    our members and customers, we need to obtain competitive reimbursement rates from participating pharmacies within

    Prime’s network.