Released: January 28, 2019

Help Desk FAQ

Why won’t the pharmacy give me the drug my doctor prescribed?

The pharmacist probably told you that the drug your doctor requested is not covered by your HMO. This means that if you demanded that particular drug immediately, you would have had to pay for it yourself. The pharmacist most likely offered you a substitute (the generic version of the prescribed medication) that would have been covered by your plan. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), almost 90 percent of prescriptions filled in the U.S. are for generic drugs, which work in the same way as brand-name medicines and use the same active ingredients. Generic drugs are cheaper than brand-name ones.