Preferred Drug List

The Preferred Drug list (PDL) is a list of the drugs that we like our providers to prescribe. The list shows the most common drugs covered by your plan. There are two PDLs, depending on which plan you have.

CareSource covers all medically necessary Medicaid-covered drugs at many pharmacies. CareSource also covers many commonly used over-the-counter (OTC) medications with a written prescription from your doctor.

If CareSource makes any changes to the PDL, the changes are posted every quarter.

Preferred Drug Lists

Changes to the PDL

Find My Prescriptions

Do you want to look up your medicine and find out if it is covered by CareSource? It’s easy when you use our Find My Prescriptions tool. This tool will help you learn how to find your medicine.

Prior Authorization

CareSource may need to review some drugs before they will be covered. This is called a prior authorization. Generally, your doctor will send us information explaining why you need a certain medication and/or a certain amount of drug. We must approve the request before we will cover the drug.

Here are some reasons a prior authorization may be needed:

  • The drug could have dangerous side effects.
  • There is a generic or preferred alternative drug available.
  • The drug could be misused/abused.
  • There are other drugs that should be tried first.

CareSource will review and make a decision within 24 hours of the original receipt of a pharmacy prior authorization request unless additional information is required from your doctor.

In an emergency, your pharmacy may override a prior authorization requirement for 72 hours so that you can get your medicine in the meantime.

Prior authorization requests for a drug may be denied. If the request is denied, we will send you information explaining our decision, and what your options are.

You can see on the Preferred Drug List (PDL) above which drugs require a prior authorization. You can also call Member Services to ask about our PDL, and which drugs or services require a prior authorization.

How to Request a Medicine Not on the PDL

You can ask us to cover a medicine that is not on our preferred drug list. This is called asking for an exception. To ask for an exception, please fill out this form. When you are done, click “Submit Request.” Our Pharmacy department will look at your request and give you an answer within 24 hours unless additional information is required from your doctor.

Generic Substitution

A pharmacy will provide a generic drug if available in place of a brand-name drug. This is called generic substitution. Members and health care providers can expect the generic substitution to produce the same effect and have the same safety profile as the brand-name drug.

If a brand-name product is requested when a generic equivalent is available, a prior authorization request will need to be submitted from your provider.

Step Therapy

Sometimes, CareSource requires that you try a less expensive medicine used for the same condition before “stepping up” to a medication that costs more. This is called step therapy. Certain drugs may only be covered if step therapy is used.

Quantity Limits

Some drugs have limits on how much can be given to a member at one time. Quantity limits may be based on several factors such as the drug makers’ recommended dosing, patient safety, or the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) recommendations.

Drug Safety Recalls

Sometimes, a drug manufacturer or the federal government issues drug recalls. To find out if a drug you take is being recalled, please check the listings on the U.S. Food & Drug Administration website.

*NOTE: While CareSource covers all medically necessary Medicaid-covered medications, we use a Preferred Drug List (PDL). These are drugs we prefer your provider to prescribe. Typically, our PDL includes more than one drug for treating a particular condition. These different possibilities are called “alternative” drugs. Many alternative drugs are just as effective as other drugs and do not cause more side effects or other health problems.