Chances are your Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina prescription drug benefit is provided through Medco, Inc. If so, you may want to take advantage of the services offered by Medco’s mail order pharmacy (Medco By Mail). Note: not all members have access to Medco’s Medco By Mail. One way to check is to look for “Paid BNCDRUG” listed on your ID card next to “Rx Service:”.

You can use Medco’s Medco By Mail two ways:
Call at 1-800-711-0926
Visit the Web site:Medco.com

Phone and Online:
Order refills, Renew prescriptions Check order status , Check mail order account status, Request mail order forms and envelopes, View prescription claims history (local and mail order)Prescription drug pricing and coverage information, Find a participating pharmacy (NC and nationwide), View summary of prescription drug benefit, Find health and wellness articles Drug information

Registration and Login for Medco.comTM
To access the above features online at Medco.com, you will first need to register and login using a login and password that you choose. The registration process will ask you for your member ID which can be found on your Blue Cross and Blue Shield ID card (enter the last 9 digits beginning with the W). Medco.com offers the following services:

Mail order transactions
Order refills. Renew prescriptions. Check your order status. Check your account status. Now you can do all these things online through Medco.com. It’s a simple way to conduct all your mail order business with Medco’s Medco By Mail.

View your prescription claims history

Need an easy way to keep track of all your prescriptions for tax purposes? Whatever your reason, now you can view your prescription claims history online. You’ll be able to review them through both your local retail pharmacies or Medco’s Medco By Mail.

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“When you go to the doctor, make sure you talk about your prescription options and how they affect your wallet.  Generic drugs are safe, affordable options should be at the top of your list when you and your doctor discuss a new prescription.

All you have to do is ask… Before your doctor writes you a prescription or prescribes a medication for you electronically, you can say, “I’m interested in generic medications if they’re available.”

If your doctor says generic is not available, ask, “Is there a generic drug in the same therapeutic class that could work for me?”

Other ways to manage prescription costs….. The BCBSNC Web site can help you find out how much a brand-name prescription drug will cost and let you know if there are less expensive alternatives.  Go online to the BCBSNC website and click on “Find a Drug” then click on “Prescription drug search”.  In the search box, type in the name of the drug you’re looking up and click “Find drug”.  The tool will then show you which tier the drug falls under so that you know your cost up front.  It will also tell you whether there is a generic alternative and will list other treatment options.”

The information above is brought to you from BCBSNC, A Guide to a Healthier You, 2009.

For more information on health insurance coverage in North Carolina and how to utilize My Member Services, please visit our website at www.nchealthplans.com or call our toll free number 888-765-5400 and speak with one of our qualified agents. Our agency provides coverage for health insurance in North Carolina through Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC). You may qualify for a 15% healthy lifestyle discount if you are in excellent health. Call us for details.

 A generic drug is identical, or bioequivalent, to a brand name drug in dosage form, safety, strength, route of administration, quality, performance characteristics and intended use. Certain inactive ingredients that give the generic product its shape, color or flavor may be different than the brand product. Health professionals and consumers can be assured that FDA approved generic drugs have met the same rigid standards as the innovator drug. Although generic drugs are chemically identical to their branded counterparts, they are typically sold at substantial discounts from the branded price.

Depending upon your benefit design, you may substantially lower your out-of-pocket expense by using a generic drug instead of the branded drug. For example, if you have a $10 generic copay (tier 1) and $35 non-preferred brand copay (tier 3), you can save $25 on every prescription just by choosing generics. For drugs you take each month, that’s a savings of $300 over an entire year. If your prescription drug benefit is based on coinsurance, generic drugs will save you money because they cost less than their branded counterparts.(In some cases, employer groups carve out the prescription drug benefit and contract with a vendor separately, please refer to your Member Guide to confirm that your pharmacy benefits are offered through

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Group health insurance plans, such as Blue Options PPO, differ from individual/family health insurance plans, such as the Blue Advantage plan, in several ways. First of all, they are most often sponsored by an employer, who in NC, must contribute at least 50% of the cost of the employee portion of the premium. Groups must also have at least 75% of their eligible employees (full time working 30 hours or more per week) participating on the plan, less anyone who is on another group plan. Blue Advantage can be applied for by any resident of North Carolina who is under 65 and who is not on Medicare or Medicaid – there are no participation requirements.

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