Image from The Herbal Alternative
Saving money on prescriptions is an impossibility, right? Prescriptions can be expensive, and there is no way around it.
Right?
WRONG!
There are a few ways to save money on prescription medicines, and I’m going to go through a few of them. My husband does not do doctors or pills. The one time in our marriage that he’s needed a prescription, I called CVS and Walgreens, and they wanted over $300. I called HEB, and it was $4.
Please do keep in mind that I am not a doctor, I am not your doctor, and this is not medical advice.
1. Choose generic. For some medicine like hormone medicines, your doctor might insist on a brand name medicine. For most other medicine, a generic will work just as well as the name brand.
2. Ask for samples. Drug companies love to give doctors samples. Really. And sometimes a sample is more like a month’s worth. It can’t hurt to ask your doctor if they have some for you.
3. See if the manufacturer has an assistance program. Many of them do. You might have to send in a couple of check stubs, but it will be worth it if you don’t have to pay for your medicine for 3 months, 6 months or a year. Find them by putting the brand name of the medicine into Google.
4. Check your favorite stores to see if the medicine is on their cheap list. HEB, Kroger, Target, Wal-mart and warehouse clubs like Sam’s and Costco can also save you money. In my opinion, HEB’s program is the best all around.
5. Call and ask before you fill the prescription. A few minutes of your time can save you big at the pharmacy counter. Sometimes, there will be a coupon or gift card for a new prescription or a transfer.
What’s your best tip for saving on prescriptions?
Thanks to reader (and friend) Laura L for asking on Facebook, which made me think a little about this topic!Kristin
I have seen several TV reports comparing the price of meds especially if you are w/o insurance – almost always Costco beat everyone. You are not required to have a Costco membership to have your prescription filled there. I currently take a generic medication that is $119+ at all the local pharmacies – At Costco I pay $48 for my 30 day supply.
Be aware that for certain medical conditions, sometimes you can avoid problems/side effects by using a name brand. When you start a new generic, keep notes and compare lab results just to make sure it is a good match for you.
Another good prescription assistance program is at http://www.pparx.com – this is the program that Montel Williams used to promote.
You can get some free meds/labs & get paid when you volunteer to participate in a medical research study at one of the local medical schools (UT and Baylor College of Medicine). They will also pay you to be a “healthy volunteer” and are always looking for people to role play with medical students. There are great studies for kids at this Baylor College of Medicine – http://www.bcm.edu/cnrc/studies
Not that it saves me much money, but my insurance is through caremark. I can go on their website and see the cost ahead of time for the meds so as not to experience sticker shock. One weird thing I noticed most recently with one of my hubs meds is quite interesting. Caremark is a CVS company and because of this we can get maintainance drugs filled at CVS for the same cost as mail order. Well don’t always assume that is the cheapest route!!!!
When checking one of my husband’s meds, mail order or CVS pharmacy wants $60 for a 3 month supply or we can go to ANY OTHER retail pharmacy and get the same exact drug for $10 for 1 month. YOU DO THE MATH! Crazyness for sure!
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