Show 1308: Saving Money on Prescription Medications

In our nationally syndicated radio show this week we’ll be taking your questions live. Our topic is how you can save money on prescription medications. As with nearly everything else, their prices have been rising. First, we speak with health and medicine investigative reporter for Consumer Reports Lisa Gill about five ways to save on prescription drugs. How many of her tips have you tried?

Five Tips for Saving Money on Prescription Medications:

In her article for Consumer Reports and her interview with us, Lisa Gill mentioned a number of new entries in the online pharmacy space. In addition to Amazon and Costco.com, bargain hunters may want to check prices at ScriptCo Pharmacy, Honeybee Health, Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Co. and GeniusRx. Keep in mind that purchasing medicines outside your insurance plan usually does not count toward the deductible.

GoodRx

GoodRx offers coupons for drugstores in your area. The comparison prices can be especially helpful in deciding where to shop. While many prices tend to be similar, we have been surprised by some large price differences between chains.

Discount Programs:

Walmart and Walgreens have discount programs. If you must buy medicines regularly, especially if your insurance doesn’t cover them, you might benefit from one of these. Your usual pharmacy might also have a discount program that would be worth checking.

Don’t overlook the possibility of discounts on generic drugs through your insurance. Some plans offer pharmacy discount cards so long as you use participating pharmacies.

Patient Assistance Programs:

Most of the previous ideas work for generic drugs. While about 80 percent of the prescription medications we take are generic, brand name drugs can be far more expensive. Some pharmaceutical manufacturers have programs to help people with pricey copays or even to help low-income patients without insurance.

Join the Conversation:

We’d love to hear your stories about saving money on prescription drugs. Send an email to radio@peoplespharmacy.com or post to our Facebook page. On Saturday morning (July 16, 2022), you can give us a call between 7:15 and 8:00 am EDT: 888-472-3366.

• What lengths have you had to go to for affordable prescription medications? Have you traveled to another country? Where did you go and how did it work out?
• Have you gone to pick up a prescription at the pharmacy only to find that you couldn’t afford it? What did you do then?
• Have you bought prescription drugs online? Did that work? How much do you think you saved? And how did you make sure the medication was authentic and not counterfeit?
• Have you ever used a coupon to buy a prescription medicine? How much did you save?
• Has your doctor ever had to go to bat for you to get your insurance company to cover a medication?
• Have you considered buying brand-name medicines from a legitimate Canadian online pharmacy? How much did you save?

This Week's Guest:

Lisa Gill is a Health & Medicine Investigative Reporter at Consumer Reports. Her article is: 5 Ways to Save on Prescription Drugs - Consumer Reports.