Michael Nashat, a director of OnPharm-United – a network of more than 600 independent pharmacies – said members of his network have reported having about 100 specialty drug claims that Manulife has denied for customers,trying to switch prescriptions from Manulife’s previous preferred providers Bayshore HealthCare and Shoppers Drug Mart.
Earlier this year, Manulife found itself in the hot seat after it announced a plan to change its PPN for all 260 specialty medications to be “primarily” fulfilled by Shoppers Drug Mart and other Loblaw-owned pharmacies. That exclusive agreement meant Manulife would end its arrangement with Bayshore, which has about 300 affiliate pharmacies across Canada, as of Jan. 22. Both agreements allowed Manulife policyholders to pick up prescriptions in-store or through home delivery.
One of those patients is Michael Lund, a 32-year-old resident of Ridgeway, Ont. Last November, Mr. Lund began to suffer from chronic hives and was put on several different oral medications before he was referred to a specialist in January. Until then, Manulife group benefits plan members can request a change in pharmacy by speaking directly with a customer service representative. The company has set up a dedicated number to assist specialty care drug clients with this change. For privacy reasons, he says, it has to be the member making the request and not the pharmacist.