On Sept. 7, the House voted to have its representatives on the fiscal 2007 defense authorization bill conference committee accept the Senate plan for Tricare drug discounts. Under the Senate version, drug companies would be required to provide Tricare the same retail discounts given to pharmacy systems operated by the Defense Department and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Currently DoD pays about $100 more per prescription for drugs distributed through its Tricare retail pharmacies than those in the mail order system, a difference that has driven the department to seek higher copays in the retail system. Presumably this breakthrough, which would save DoD $400 million a year, would eliminate its plan for increased copays and other initiatives intended to force retail pharmacy users into the mail order system.