A formulary is a list of covered drugs under a Medicare Advantage Part D Plan. The list includes both brand-name and generic drugs. We have a team of doctors and pharmacists—our Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee (P&T)—who review our formulary for safety and effectiveness. Based on recommendations from our P&T Committee, we occasionally make changes to the medications covered by our formulary.
Medications on the formulary may change:
Most changes in drug coverage happen on January 1, but we may add or remove drugs on the drug list during the year, move them to different cost-sharing tiers, or add new restrictions. We must follow Medicare rules in making these changes.
Changes that can affect you this year: In the below cases, you will be affected by coverage changes during the year:
New generic drugs. We may immediately remove a brand-name drug on our drug list if we are replacing it with a new generic drug that will appear on the same or lower cost-sharing tier and with the same or fewer restrictions. Also, when adding the new generic drug, we may decide to keep the brand-name drug on our drug list, but immediately move it to a different cost-sharing tier or add new restrictions. If you are currently taking that brand-name drug, we may not tell you in advance before we make that change, but we will later provide you with information about the specific change(s) we have made. If we make such a change, you or your prescriber can ask us to make an exception and continue to cover the brand-name drug for you. The notice we provide you will also include information on how to request an exception.
Drugs removed from the market. If the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) deems a drug on our formulary to be unsafe or the drug’s manufacturer removes the drug from the market, we will immediately remove the drug from our formulary and provide notice to members who take the drug.
Other changes. We may make other changes that affect members currently taking a drug. For instance, we may add a generic drug that is not new to market to replace a brand-name drug currently on the formulary; or add new restrictions to the brand-name drug or move it to a different cost-sharing tier or both. Or we may make changes based on new clinical guidelines. If we remove drugs from our formulary, or add prior authorization, quantity limits and/or step therapy restrictions on a drug, or move a drug to a higher cost-sharing tier, we must notify affected members of the change at least 30 days before the change becomes effective, or at the time the member requests a refill of the drug, at which time the member will receive a 30-day supply of the drug. If we make these other changes, you or your prescriber can ask us to make an exception and continue to cover the brand-name drug for you. The notice we provide you will also include information on how to request an exception.
Learn more:
- 2023 Medicare HMO Blue Formulary (Updated 10/01/2022)
- 2023 Medicare PPO Blue Formulary (Updated 10/01/2022)
- Appeals & Grievances procedure