Medication is expensive. Sometimes prohibitively expensive. Billions of dollars are spent every year by pharmaceutical companies on R&D, clinical trials, marketing, advertising and branding. Likewise, those costs are passed on to the consumer. Thus, patients everywhere are faced with paying tens if not hundreds of dollars per prescription medication. Thankfully, there are a few ways to help lessen the financial impact on your wallet.
FREE MEDICATION:
The best way to save money on medications is not to pay for it at all! Meijer offers a handful of free oral, generic antibiotics, especially those that are prescribed most often for children. Women can get free prenatal vitamins to be used while trying to get pregnant, during pregnancy or while nursing. Diabetic patients can get free Metformin Immediate Release tablets along with taking advantage of other diabetic help programs through the pharmacy.
PREFERRED BRANDS:
Print off a list of your preferred medication brands, or formulary, and take it with you to the doctor. It will helpful to be able to present this to your doctor, and they can choose which medication they would like to prescribe while staying within your preferred list. Medications that are not on your preferred list are often much more expense. This simple act will save you, your doctor, the nurses, your insurance company and the pharmacy countless hours and dollars.
GENERICS:
Consider investigating whether your name brand medication has a generic substitute. Pharmacists say generics work just as well as name brand medications. They undergo the same rigorous clinical trials and testing as brand names. They just don't have fancy commercials asking the patients to request their medicine from the doctors. Even if your doctor confesses that there is not a generic available and s/he still thinks that it is the best medication for you, make a mental note to ask again at your bi-annual or annual check-up to see if anything has been recently approved.
$4 PLANS:
Many pharmacies offer reduced pricing plans such as the $4 plan pioneered by Walmart Pharmacy. Many common, generic medications are available with a prescription for $4 for a 30 day supply or for $10 for a 90 day supply. Again, it might be helpful to print off the $4 Walmart Drug List and take it with you to the doctor. If you leave your appointment with an Rx, you can easily refer to it before deciding at which pharmacy to have it filled. CVS, Target and Kroger Pharmacies also offer reduced priced drug plans.
MAIL ORDER:
Look into mail ordering a 90-day supply of your medication, whether brand name or generic. Co payments may be significantly lower through the mail than getting a 30-day supply filled at a traditional walk-in pharmacy. If you have a health plan with drug coverage, you most likely have the opportunity to use a mail order service. The largest Pharmacy Benefits Managers (PBM) are Medco, Caremark and Express Scripts. Walmart and Walgreens also offers a mail order service.
More ways to save money on prescription medication next week....
No comments:
Post a Comment