I get my medications from the local Navy Clinic but for a short while, I tried Express Scripts so I wouldn't have to go the the clinic's pharmacy. It would take about a week for my meds to arrive in the mail whereas I could get a refill at the clinic in 2 - 3 days. Having worked in AF medical materiel (supply) and having bought bought our pharmacy's drugs, I know the cost to the military is about 40% less than what civilian pharmacies pay. That's because the military has a greater buying power than non-military pharmacies. By getting my med from the Navy Clinic, I'm helping save the government money.
Tricare is divided into three regions; East, West, and Overseas. A large military hospital oversees the contract for a Tricare region for all the military hospitals. They provide usage data to a pharmaceutical wholesaler, known as a Prime Vendor, who bases individual drug prices upon the amount of the drug they will sell over the next year. This allows the wholesaler to negotiate with drug companies to obtain a lower price which is then passed on to the military in either lower prices or a rebate.
Having helped manage a pharmaceutical Prime Vendor contract, I was privy to seeing what the actual drug prices we were being charged. Using Red Book, which lists the prices of drugs, I did a short evaluation of the what we paid versus what civilian pharmacies paid. My evaluation showed we paid about 40% less for the drugs than out civilian counterparts.
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