If you use a convenient pharmacy to fill all your family’s prescriptions, you may be spending far more than necessary. A friend's post about insulin at a national chain drugstore made me think a Public Service Announcement might be in order. With the exorbitant costs of prescription medications, knowing how and where to shop could save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars - depending on your pharmaceutical needs.
Rather than having your doctor's office forward your non-urgent prescriptions directly to a pharmacy, ask them to give you a written prescription so you will have time and opportunity to do a little shopping.
Before filling a non-urgent prescription, hop on the internet and begin searching there. Have your prescription handy so you can input accurate details. You will need the name of the medication, dosage, frequency, and whether or not you can use a generic. Find cash prices BEFORE inputting any insurance information. If you end up paying cash, understand that the cost of your prescription won't accumulate towards your insurance deductible or out-of-pocket maximums, but if your medical expenses never reach those upper limits, that won’t matter and you might save yourself a significant amount of money.
My friend's example was Humilin/Novolin regular and NPH insulin at a cash price of $27/vial at Wal-Mart. This is about 10% of the cost required at most other retail pharmacies. That’s a huge savings! Most chain pharmacy discount plans have gone away, but deep discounts are still available for savvy consumers. NeedyMeds.org provides a fairly up to date list of discount pharmacy programs from all around the country. Kroger's, Walgreens, Winn Dixie and several other retailers are listed with details and links to their websites. GoodRx.com is a helpful resource. In about two minutes, you will find substantial discounts on many medications. Here are two examples of common meds at common pharmacies: one is on Wal-Mart’s $4 Rx Program but retails for between $19 and $23 at other local pharmacies. Another is $15 through Walgreens Prescription Savings Club but retails for $108 at a pharmacy just down the street. If nothing else, after a little perusing on GoodRx, your eyes will be opened to the wild discrepancies in the price of exactly the same medication at various pharmacies and to the importance of shopping before deciding where to fill your prescriptions – especially maintenance medications that you need to fill month after month.
Discount Drug Network.com is accepted at more than 64,000 pharmacies in the US, both big chain and local pharmacies. Find the lowest price, download drug coupons, research, and more. All for FREE.
Scripts Save Well Rx touts an average savings of 60% with a network of more than 65,000 US pharmacies.
For home delivery, check out Blink Health. You will be required to establish an account and sign in before filling a prescription, but if delivery is what you need, Blink Health might be the service for you. In addition, you can always pick up your prescriptions at any of Blink’s network of more than 35,000 pharmacies nationwide. Blink also has US physicians on staff who can provide telephone appointments and prescribe certain medications or refills over the telephone, saving you a trip to the doctor.
For those with Chronic illnesses, take a look at Rx Saver. Not only do they help with discounts, but for a $50 per month membership, they will advocate on your behalf. While this program is not for everyone for those refilling several medications each month, or for those filling very expensive prescriptions, an advocate might just be the ticket to windfall savings.
For a completely free service that provides print on demand Rx coupons, try Help Rx. When I checked a few days ago, coupons were available for up to 75% off Adderol, Ciallis, and Tamiflu, among many others.
Finally, don't count out local, privately owned pharmacies. One near my home provides many generics at less than half the cost of big chain pharmacies, and the pharmacists and staff bend over backwards to help their customers.
One last note. If your insurance carrier stops covering a prescription mid-year or if the copay for a prescription suddenly increase to a higher tier, that particular medication may have lost its patent and a generic version might be available almost immediately. Follow up with your doctor and ask if switching to a generic is an option for you. Generics can save you tons of money. Pharmaceuticals are a serious healthcare hurdle, but a little time wisely spent might be your personal solution.
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