My family has a high deductible health plan with a $5,200 annual deductible and a Health Savings Account (HSA).  I really like our health plan because it provides my family with great coverage in case of any major medical events, and our monthly premiums are considerably lower.   In a typical year, we never meet this deductible.   

This calendar year my family has accumulated some medical expenses and it looks like we might be meeting our deductible by the end of the year.   I have a number of prescriptions filled at our local Walgreens Pharmacy so I joined the Walgreens prescription savings club to save 25% on all my prescriptions.   This is a huge savings for my family.  Almost a month ago I realized my prescription out-of-pocket spending was not being applied towards my annual deductible and since this was almost $2000 in Rx expenses – I was concerned. 

It turns out that if you join the Walgreens savings club and use your savings club discount when you pay for prescriptions, Walgreens does not submit these drug claims to your health insurance plan.   In order for these expenses to be applied to my deductible, I am required to submit these receipts myself.  Why Walgreens cannot forward these claims is a mystery.  But now that I know, I will make sure these drug expenses get applied to my deductible.