Up to 45,000 Nebraska state employees to regain access to Walgreens with health plan switch

LINCOLN, Neb. — Nebraska officials on Wednesday announced the state will switch health insurance carriers from Blue Cross/Blue Shield to United Healthcare, effective July 1, according to reports.

Access to Walgreens pharmacies played a significant role in that decision, according to Carlos Castillo, head of the Nebraska Department of Administrative Services. More than half of the 15,000 state employees and 30,000 dependents presently have their prescriptions filled at a Walgreens pharmacy, according to the report. "When [access to Walgreens pharmacies] stopped at the end of December, it was a huge, huge change — and employees were very vocal about it," Castillo told the Associated Press.



The move is expected to save the state $8 million per year, or about 5%. That cost savings should reach state employees by way of lower premiums, Castillo said.