November 3, 2022
In September, Kroger notified Express Scripts, Inc. (ESI) of their intent to end their pharmacy provider agreement effective January 1, 2023. ESI provides online prescription and pharmacy services to Premera members.
ESI is committed to offering affordable pharmacy access and is continuing to negotiate in good faith with Kroger to stay in network.
A Kroger termination with ESI impacts the following pharmacies under the Kroger umbrella:*
| Bakers |
City Market |
Dillons |
Food 4 Less |
| Foods Co |
Fred Meyer |
Frys |
Gerbes |
| Harris Teeter |
King Sooper |
Kroger |
Owens Market |
| Pay-Less Super Markets |
QFC |
Ralphs |
Smith’s Food and Drug |
*Any added impact caused by Kroger’s plans to merge with Albertsons is unknown. The deal is not expected to close until early 2024, pending regulatory and anti-trust review.
As part of the standard termination process, ESI will send notification letters to members who use Kroger pharmacies. The mailing will be sent 30 to 60 days in advance, sometime between November 2, 2022, and December 2, 2022. We encourage members to sign in to the Premera member portal to find other local, in-network pharmacy options.
We’ll provide the latest updates on premera.com.