Senior advocacy group publicly requests ESI to settle Walgreens dispute

WASHINGTON — RetireSafe, a 400,000-supporter strong grassroots organization that advocates and educates on behalf of America's seniors on issues regarding Social Security, Medicare, health and financial well-being, on Friday issued a press release urging Express Scripts to return to the negotiating table and come to an agreement with Walgreens.

"Walgreens is a valued community partner upon which seniors and their families rely," stated Thair Phillips, RetireSafe president. "As a representative of these Americans in communities across the country, we urge Express Scripts to put the health and safety of retired Americans first and to return swiftly to contract negotiations with Walgreens," he said. "The loss of these services is already proving to be detrimental to the health and safety of retired Americans."

In a letter to Express Scripts, the organization expressed the impact of Express Scripts' decision not to cover prescriptions filled at Walgreens on its members.

"We are well aware that Walgreens provides services well beyond simply filling prescriptions. In fact, they offer 24-hour access, immunizations, walk-in healthcare centers and medication management programs," the letter stated. "Denying retired Americans access to these services is much more than a business decision — it is one that will directly affect the quality of life for hundreds of thousands of seniors. By denying access to these services, Express Scripts also assaults Americans' ability to retire safely by chipping at health security, which is one of retirement's major cornerstones."

RetireSafe is a nonprofit, nonpartisan grassroots senior advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C.