Ways To Help With The High Cost Of Prescription Drugs

Have you ever felt that your money was being ripped out of your hands when you had to fill prescriptions at pharmacies? While there are no fool proof answers to the problem, whether you have individual insurance, Medicare prescription insurance, or even many group plans, the costs are prohibitive for many of the most commonly prescribed brand name and high-cost generic drugs. There are some options to look at however though some may mean having to do a bit of work.

Most people are now familiar with drug discount programs like Good RX, Single Care, and Script Saver. Many have also heard of “Cost Plus Drug”, an online pharmacy began by Mark Cuban that is actually starting to team up with insurance companies in Pennsylvania like Capital Blue Cross**. This may be something that you would want to write to your current health insurance or prescription drug plan about. It takes people making noise to make a difference. I keep running into too many people being willing to say, “What can I do about it?”. You can make noise about the ridiculous pricing of medications in the United States not only to your insurer but also to your representatives in both the state and federal Congress! They will listen if enough people complain but they won’t do anything if you keep silent!

Another big suggestion I constantly make to my clients is to form a relationship with a small independent pharmacist. You cannot help yourself more than by doing that. A small, independent pharmacist has more control over their costs than a pharmacist in a “big box store” that is corporately owned. Studies over the years have consistently shown that small, independent pharmacists overall cost the public less versus the major corporate pharmacies and big box stores when it comes to more expensive drugs. The reason for this is that they can set their own pricing. They will never come out the lowest in cost on Medicare.gov comparisons because you can’t negotiate pricing on that site.

My suggestion is to form a relationship with a small pharmacy and then ask them what they would charge you if you didn’t use your prescription drug card from your insurance at all for your medications. It may not work out the best for very low-cost drugs, because the big box stores negotiate those low-cost drugs at little to no cost to consumers as a way to attract business. Unfortunately, they often have very high pricing for mid-level and higher drugs. Smaller pharmacies may offer home delivery, medication consultations, will talk with your doctor about alternative medications that may be less costly, and have the time to spend with you because they are not under corporate pressures.

Call or email me with any questions. I hear over and over again that the cost of medications are just too high and the government is not doing enough, fast enough, to make the costs less for Americans.