FYB News

How to Use Your Prescription Drug Benefits

Next time you have a prescription to fill, follow these steps to make sure you understand the plan rules, save money and take advantage of the many resources available to help you.

1. Ask for Generics

To avoid paying more for your prescriptions, always ask your health provider if a generic alternative is available. If not, ask about a preferred brand alternative. As you discuss your options, you and your provider should be aware of the following plan rules.

  • If your prescription is written for a brand name medication, it will be filled with a generic, if available. If your provider requires the brand medication, you’ll pay a brand penalty (the cost difference between the generic and brand name drug) plus the applicable brand coinsurance.
  • Prescriptions for certain brand name medications will require you to use a generic or preferred brand name drug first. In this case, the pharmacist will contact your doctor and request a new prescription. If you try this alternative drug or have tried one in the past and it does not work for you, then your doctor can request that the original brand name medication be covered by the plan. Otherwise, if your doctor chooses the brand name drug you were initially prescribed, you will have to pay the full cost of the drug and it will not apply to your deductible or out-of-pocket maximum. (Visit caremark.com to see the complete list of medications that fall under this category.)
2. Understand How You Pay

Your prescription drug costs depend on both the type of drug used and your medical plan option.

If you are in the HRA option: 

  • You don’t have to meet your medical deductible first. You pay a copay for generic medications and coinsurance for brand name medications.
  • If you take medication for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes (medications only) or heart failure, Rockwell Automation will automatically pay more of the cost for these drugs compared to other drugs covered by the plan. This is called a “value-based prescription coverage benefit.”
  • A prescription drug out-of-pocket maximum limits how much you have to pay for prescription drugs during the year.

If you are in the HSA option: 

  • For preventive medications, you pay 20% of the cost and you don’t have to meet the medical deductible first.
  • For non-preventive medications, you must meet the deductible first. Once you meet your deductible, you pay coinsurance for your medications.
3. Use Your Tools

You have access to several tools that help you manage and understand your prescription drug benefits, including how much you’ll pay for your medications:

  • CVS Caremark Website. Find network pharmacies, see your plan coverage, check drug costs and the availability of generics, see which brand name medications require a generic first, learn about your medication, order prescription refills and discover ways to save on your medications.
  • CVS Caremark mobile app. Use your iPhone or Android phone to identify unknown pills, check for potential drug interactions, refill prescriptions, find network pharmacies, check coverage and cost under your plan and review your prescription history.
  • Prescription Drug Wizard. Answer a few questions to get specific information about your prescription drug plan, including how much you’ll pay for a prescription.
  • Quick Find. Get basic information about your coverage and plan rules by typing “prescription drugs” in the search field.
  • Caremark Customer Care (1.800.421.2342). Call Customer Care for answers to questions about your prescriptions.
  • Your Medical SPD. Have a more detailed question about your prescription drug benefits? Find the Summary Plan Description (SPD) for your medical option at EmployeeConnect > Your Benefits Resources.
4. Fill Your Prescription

You have two ways to fill your prescription:

  • At a retail pharmacy. You can fill your prescriptions—up to a 30-day supply—at a CVS Caremark retail pharmacy. To find one near you, visit caremark.com.
  • Through mail order. If you take a maintenance drug—a prescription you take on an ongoing basis to treat a chronic condition—you can fill the first two 30-day supplies from any network retail pharmacy before you are asked to receive any additional fills in a 90-day supply from CVS Caremark Mail Order or a local CVS pharmacy (CVS Caremark’s Maintenance Choice program).

These four steps cover the basics of your prescription drug benefits and the tools available to you. If you have additional questions, call the Rockwell Automation Service Center at 1.877.687.7272, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Central time.

Check Out the New, Online Prescription Drug Wizard


Learning about your prescription drug benefits has never been easier thanks to the new, interactive Prescription Drug Wizard. Simply answer a few basic questions, and you’ll instantly get prescription drug coverage information that’s tailored just for you.

To get started, visit the Prescription Wizard. Then, follow the instructions onscreen to select your medical option and answer a few questions (e.g., whether you’ve met your deductible and whether you prefer brand name or generic drugs). Based on your answers, the Wizard provides only the prescription drug details that matter to you, including:

  • Your cost for prescription drugs
  • Things to ask your doctor
  • Handy resources, including a prescription drug glossary
  • Special rules about medications you take for chronic conditions

Because you can use the wizard on your computer, tablet or smartphone, you can access this information wherever you are—even at the pharmacy. So, try it next time you want quick details about your prescription drug benefits.

Published: March 2013

Prescription Drug Coverage

During Annual Enrollment last year, we announced three changes to your CVS Caremark prescription drug coverage that are designed to make prescription drugs more affordable for all of us in the long run. In general:

1. Generics are the first choice.
2. Choose the low-cost treatment first.
3. Get your maintenance drugs in a 90-day supply.

Your Prescription Drug Booklet should have arrived in your home mail. Download a PDF of the Prescription Drug Booklet here.

Published: March 2013

Your Rx Rules

These three rules are designed to make prescription drugs more affordable for all of us.

  1. Generics are the first choice.

Your prescription will be filled with a generic if available. If your doctor doesn’t allow or if you don’t choose a generic substitution, you’ll pay a brand penalty. So always talk to your doctor about generic alternatives and make sure the “Dispense as Written” box on your prescription isn’t checked.

  1. Choose the low-cost treatment first.

With some brand name medications, you’re required to try lower-cost alternatives first. If this is the case, the pharmacist will contact your doctor and request a new prescription. If the alternative does not work for you, your doctor can ask to have the original brand name drug covered by the plan.

  1. Get your maintenance drugs in a 90-day supply.

For new maintenance drugs, you can fill two 30-day supplies from a retail pharmacy. After that, you’ll be asked to get 90-day supplies from CVS Caremark Mail Order or a local CVS pharmacy.

Manage Your Prescription Drug Benefits Like a Pro

Whether you’re at your computer, on a smartphone or near your home phone, you can easily manage your prescriptions or learn about your benefits with one of these handy resources:

  • www.caremark.com. Register online to order prescriptions, learn about your benefits, find a local pharmacy and ask a pharmacist questions.
  • CVS Caremark mobile app. Manage, refill and view prescriptions on your smartphone while you’re on the go.
  • Caremark Customer Care (1.800.421.2342). Call Customer Care for answers to questions about your prescriptions.
  • www.raquickfind.com. If you have a basic question about your prescription drug benefits or need contact information for Caremark, simply type your query into the Quick Find search field.
  • Your Medical SPD. Have a more detailed question about your prescription drug benefits? Find the Summary Plan Description (SPD) for your medical option at EmployeeConnect > Your Benefits Resources.
  • Rockwell Automation Service Center. Still have questions? Call the Rockwell Automation Service Center at 1.877.687.7272 Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Central time.

Published: February 2013