Kroger Health resumes tie-up with Cigna’s Express Scripts after two years

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(Reuters) -Kroger’s healthcare unit said on Wednesday it would resume services for customers of Cigna’s pharmacy benefits manager Express Scripts, more than two years after ending an agreement with the company.

The grocery retailer sent Express Scripts a written notice in September 2022 of its plan to terminate their pharmacy provider agreement for commercial customers due to an “unsustainable” pricing model.

Later that year, Kroger health entered into a contract with Prime Therapeutics, the pharmacy benefit manager owned by Blue Cross and Blue Shield.

Under the new agreement with Express Scripts, Kroger pharmacies will resume serving customers who are part of the pharmacy provider’s Medicare plans for prescription drugs and health plans for military members.

“We’re pleased to welcome Kroger Health back as a network option for our clients that provide prescription drug benefits,” Express Scripts said.

Additionally, members in Express Scripts’ commercial and government-backed Medicaid plans for low income individuals can add Kroger’s pharmacies to their respective networks.

Collectively, these plans cover more than 100 million people in the United States, Kroger said.

Kroger health operates more than 2,200 pharmacies across 35 states in the United States.

(Reporting by Sriparna Roy in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri)