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Frequently Asked Questions
Safety and legality
Product availability
Eligibility
Savings
Prescription
Delivery
We believe these drugs
are as safe as those purchased at your neighborhood pharmacy. The
Canadian pharmacy has ensured us that all drugs they are providing are
in original, sealed packaging. For more details, please see
Legal information.
We believe it is legal.
For more details, please see
Legal information.
Your local drug store
is in the best position to provide you with short-term prescriptions
that you need for less than three months. Mail order may offer you
greater savings and convenience for any prescription that is for three
months or longer, such as a maintenance medication. If your doctor is
willing to provide a three-month prescription, check the
Canadian drug list to determine whether you can obtain it there
free of cost for you. If the medication is not
on that list, consider using
the
U. S. mail order pharmacy to take advantage of
getting a three-month
supply for only two co-payments.
The pharmacy, Total
Care Pharmacy of Winnipeg, Manitoba, was selected from a field of several
pharmacies that were inspected by a team of state experts in the fall of
2003. The team used strict criteria to ensure that the pharmacies would
offer safe, affordable drugs.
All of the data privacy
requirements in both state and federal HIPPA law have been honored.
These considerations have been addressed in the contracts between the
Minnesota Advantage Health Plan and the health plans and pharmacy. Each
of these contracts have been reviewed and approved by the Office of the
Minnesota Attorney General.
The state has entered into a contract
with Total Care Pharmacy to assure that member prescription orders go
directly to the pharmacy and not to or through the state. This contract
has been reviewed and approved by the Office of the Minnesota Attorney
General. The only information that the state receives from the pharmacy
is a billing with no member identification.
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The service
currently offers
a limited number of brand name maintenance drugs. These
selections were chosen based on the cost for the drug in the U.S. versus
Canada. We have only included brand name drugs because most generic
medications are less expensive in the U.S. than in Canada. The selection
is limited to “maintenance drugs,” those commonly purchased in three
month supplies, because we can realize even greater savings. By
carefully choosing the selection of prescription drugs available on this
Website, we are able to save enough to waive both co-payments and
shipping and handling.
Occasionally shortages
may occur. If the pharmacy is not able to fill your prescription, they
will immediately phone you to allow you to make other arrangements.
It is important to not
only match the drug name but the dosage level as well. If your dosage is
not listed, you can order your drug through our domestic mail order
program.
If I
have a prescription for 50 milligrams once a day, but the pharmacy
only offers 100 milligram tablets, can I buy the 100 milligram tablets
and split them?
While we will generally
not interfere with a doctor's recommendation for splitting tablets as
part of legitimate therapy for some patients, we do not encourage
persons to do this on their own and will not fill a prescription that
would require spitting unless it specifically indicates this. We regret
that we are unable to provide all strengths of drugs through Canada, but
we encourage you to consider ordering through a domestic mail order
firm.
If I
have a prescription for 100 milligrams once a day, but the pharmacy
only offers 50 milligram tablets, can I ask my doctor to write it
prescription for 2 x 50 mg instead of 1 x 100 mg?
Drugs are often not
priced relative to their strength. That is, a 100 milligram tablet may
not cost twice as much as a 50 milligram tablet. Therefore, in order
for Advantage to save money, we require that persons order in the
largest dosage unit possible for their therapy. If your doctor requires
you to take 100 milligrams once a day, then you should obtain 100
milligram tablets. If your doctor requires you to take 50 milligrams
twice a day, then 50 milligram tablets would be appropriate. We regret
that we are unable to provide all strengths of drugs through Canada, but
we encourage you to consider ordering through a domestic mail order
firm.
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You must be
participating in Minnesota Advantage in order to be eligible. If you
feel an error has been made, please contact the Minnesota Department of
Finance & Employee Relations service center at 651-355-0100.
Is there an age restriction for either ordering or
receiving drugs through this service?
No. Nothing restricts a minor
from obtaining prescription medicines through this
site, provided they are in his or her name and s/he
is an Advantage member. However, a parent or
guardian must sign the "customer agreement" if the
person is under age 21.
If I'm not eligible for this service, how can I save
money on drugs?
You
might consider purchasing Canadian drugs through
www.minnesotarxconnect.com, which is the service
established for Minnesotans who have no prescription
drug coverage. You may also consider enrolling in a
prescription drug discount card available through
Medicare.
Please allow one to two
weeks after making your elections before attempting to use this service.
Yes, because each
individual prescription is reviewed by a physician who looks at the
personal medical history you provide, it is important that everyone
requesting a prescription medication fill out the appropriate forms.
My card says "Advantage," but I'm retired. Am I
eligible?
Yes.
All MN Advantage members are eligible to
participate.
What if I signed up, but now my drug is no longer available?
Given the dynamic
environment surrounding drug reimportation, we cannot guarantee that
drugs will remain on this list. Moreover, drug shortages may occur from
time to time. In all cases, you will be informed of any changes when
you attempt to refill your prescription and will be referred to a U.S.
mail order firm if appropriate.
I tried to enroll, but it didn't seem to work. What
happened?
The
enrollment screen is within another frame. You need
try again. Go back to the drug list, pick your
drug(s), select "check out" and register as a new
customer. After filling out the initial contact
information, use the inside bar to scroll down and
fill out the additional information. When you are
done, select "Submit order." You will know that your
order was accepted when you receive a confirmation
e-mail.
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Currently, there are no plans to change
this. As long as Advantage is saving money through this program, those
savings will be shared with members in the form of reduced co-payments
and premiums.
Do I have to pay
for shipping and handling?
No. All expenses are
paid by Advantage.
All savings will be
shared between the health plan and its members. Members will receive an
immediate saving as a result of waived co-payments and free shipping and
handling. Both members and state agencies will realize longer range
savings.
You will need to
contact
Navitus to request a reimbursement. However, you will
be liable for co-payments and shipping costs.
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You don’t need to wait
until your current prescription expires. Contact your doctor’s office
and ask them to write you a new prescription for a three-month supply
and have them fax it to the Canadian pharmacy to 1-888/431-1185. You may
also obtain an original prescription from your doctor and mail it to the
Canadian pharmacy.
Yes. In addition to
your doctor’s contact information, Canadian law requires that your
prescription form clearly includes the patient's full name, address, and
phone.
No, not usually.
However, the Canadian pharmacy will contact your doctor if it has any
questions about your prescription.
If
your doctor does not want to do this for whatever reason, just ask him
or her for a paper prescription and mail the original directly to the
pharmacy. Be sure to CLEARLY have your name, address, phone number and
date of birth on the prescription.
You may place
prescription drug orders through all three of the options: your local
drug store, the U.S. mail order pharmacy,
and the Canadian service. Choose the option that is best for you. The
Canadian service offers you products free of charge, but it does not
include all the drugs listed in your health plan’s formulary. A local
drug store and the U.S. mail order pharmacy may include all of your
prescriptions, but you will be charged a co-payment. These options are
being offered so that you can obtain your prescriptions at the lowest
possible cost.
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Initial orders usually take
between 14 and 21 days to arrive at your doorstep.
Most refills are delivered within 10 days.
However, U.S. Customs has the right to hold
shipments up to 30 days.
In the event that your
order takes more than 21 days to arrive, you can contact your physician
to obtain an emergency supply from your local
pharmacy to assure continuity of your medication.
You can track your
order by calling
1-866-558-8707 or TTY
1-877-425-2037 or sending an e-mail to
orderstatus@totalcarepharmacy.com. Once you
find out your tracking number from the pharmacy,
you can also track it on the
U.S. Post Office's Website.
Drugs sometimes have
different appearances and names when packaged for sale in different
countries. To be sure you received the correct medicine, you can look on
the informational material that came with your prescription. It will
usually reference both the Canadian and U.S. name of the medicine. It
will sometimes include a product description. You can also call the
pharmacy at
1-866-558-8707 to verify that the medicine you received was
correct.
Do I need to be at home in order to get my product?
Packages
from Canada are shipped using Global Priority Mail
through the U.S. Postal Service. These packages do
not require a signature, but mail carriers may and
may ask for one anyway. If you are not home at the
time of delivery, the carrier may leave a notice so
you can either have it delivered later or pick it up
at the post office.
After ordering a
drug, I received a letter from the FDA saying
that my shipment had been stopped at the border.
What do I do?
The FDA does spot checks of
packages to ensure that they do not contain
illegal substances. In a few cases, they have
confiscated packages, claiming that the
particular drugs are not licensed for sale in
the U.S. This is usually due to incomplete
labeling. If you receive such
a letter, please
call the Dept. of
Finance & Employee Relations at 651-355-0100.
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