Iowa pharmacy and prescription drug benefits

Your Iowa Medicaid plan covers a wide range of prescription drugs. We work with CarelonRx to provide these benefits.

Getting your prescriptions in Iowa is easy

Simply take your written prescription to a plan pharmacy or ask your doctor to call it in. Remember to show the pharmacy your Wellpoint member ID card.

Find a pharmacy

Interested in home delivery?

Get prescriptions delivered straight to your door. Through your secure online account you can also:

Order refills

Track shipments

Get notifications

Medications straight to your doorstep

With the ZipDrug pharmacy program, you’ll get customized care at no extra cost. ZipDrug will connect you with a participating local pharmacy. The pharmacy will package your medications by time and day to help you understand what to take and when. They’ll also schedule free hand-delivery. You may even qualify for one-on-one support from the local pharmacy. They’ll create a personalized care plan to help manage your medications and health conditions.

Here’s how it works:

1. Call to enroll at 844-947-3784 Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Central time.

2. Your prescriptions will be transferred by your participating local pharmacy. They’ll package your medications by time and day and set up refills so they’re on the same schedule.

3. Receive your prescriptions by scheduled hand-delivery, at no extra cost. When your prescriptions are ready, the pharmacy will call you to schedule delivery for a day and time that’s most convenient.

Have questions about your pharmacy benefits?

Call Pharmacy Member Services, 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 833-207-3115 (TTY 711).

Discover more about your drug coverage

Wellpoint has a list of preferred drugs chosen for quality and effectiveness for Iowa members. It’s called a Preferred Drug List (PDL). Since the PDL can change at any time, be sure to check back here for updates.

Many drugs on the PDL don’t need preapproval. Drugs not mentioned on the list, though, always require preapproval. This means your doctor must get approval from us before writing prescriptions for unlisted drugs.

Search Preferred Drug List

Some medicines need preapproval, or an okay from us, before they can be filled. Drugs that require preapproval will be listed with PA next to the drug name. For those medicines, your doctor must submit a preapproval request before you can fill your prescription. Your doctor can call Provider Services at 833-731-2143 or fax the request to 844-487-9292.

Preapprovals are necessary for drugs that:

Have the potential for serious side effects
Should be prescribed only for specific usage
Have a high misuse or abuse potential
May cost more than other preferred drugs

The preapproval process helps us make sure you’re taking medicines safely and correctly.

You may also need preapproval when:

Requesting a higher dosage than recommended
The drug is part of a step-therapy treatment plan
Requesting a brand-name drug that already has an FDA-approved generic version

If your doctor recommends a drug that isn’t on the list, you may request an exception by emailing us at submitmyexceptionreq@Wellpoint.com. Please include a reason why it should be covered.