High Dollar Discounts

A big problem that many patients have is when there is no generic available for drugs that their physicians prescribe. A great way to save some money is by using manufacturer coupons. Many drug companies have rebates or coupons that will give you a free months supply or discounts off copays. There are a few websites that consolidate this information and make it easy for the consumer to check their drugs for available coupons.

NeedyMeds

This site has a lot of great resources. There is a tab for patient assistance on the left side of the page

InternetDrugCoupons

A great alphabetical list at this site makes it easy to find the drug you are on.

Any questions or comments please feel free to email me at phrugalpharmacist@gmail.com

Deal or No Deal

This tip may seem simple bit I guarantee that it is something not everyone does when filling prescriptions. My suggestion is to always ask if you are getting said prescription for the best price possible. You may have a set copay for your prescriptions. A 30 day supply of a generic drug may cost you $6 dollars. Is it possible that this same drug would be available for $4 dollars on a store's generic program?
Not all pharmacies give you the best price automatically. If you give them your prescription and your insurance card they may just fill it with your insurance and charge you the copay. If you ask them if the drug could be cheaper on their plan or through a match to another store's plan you may be able to get it cheaper.
The pharmacy where I work we always give the customer the best price but this might not be the case at all stores.
It never hurts to ask!
If you have any questions post them in the comments or email me at phrugalpharmacist@gmail.com

A Split Decision

One simple way to save money on prescription drugs is tablet splitting. This is especially useful on drugs that are covered on your store's plan such as a $4 or $5 generic plan. If you can get 30 tablets of 20 mg of drug X that you take once daily for $5 at your pharmacy that is great! Think if you get 30 tablets of 40 mg of drug X for $5 and split those in half. You end up with 60 days worth of your medication for the same $5 you were paying for 30 days worth. There are 3 important things to remember. First, you should check with your pharmacist if your tablet can be split. Some medications, especially extended or sustained release forms, cannot be safely split. Second, if your medication can be split request the change from your doctor. Third, if you pay a set copay from your insurance tablet splitting may not save you money. For example, if you pay $10 for a 30 day supply of medication your insurance will probably bill you $10 no matter how many tablets you fill.
As always leave any questions in the comments field or email me at phrugalpharmacist@gmail.com

It's all about class...

This is one of the most important pieces of knowledge when it comes to saving on prescriptions. The drugs you take fall into different "classes" of medication. Some of examples of classes include statins, ACE-inhibitors, flouroquinolone antibiotics etc. What does it mean to be in the same class? Using the aforementioned class of statins I will explain. Statins are a class of drugs used to treat hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol). In short, this group of drugs inhibits an enzyme in the body that is essential for synthesis of cholesterol. There are several drugs in this class and they all work by inhibiting this same enzyme. Why is this important?
In this class of drugs and in many other classes there are drugs that are only available as brand drugs. Brand drugs are generally much more costly than generics.
Example:

Cash price of brand name Crestor (no generic available) 10 mg #30 tablets $166 (without insurance)
Cash price of Simvastatin 20 mg (this is generic for Zocor) #90 tablets $15

(prices from a local pharmacy)

I picked random strengths of these drugs. Both drugs are in the same class and do the same thing...one is generic and the other is not. As you can see there is a huge price difference.
Here are a few points to remember:

1-If you want to know about switching drugs in the same class ask your pharmacist "Is there a cheaper generic drug available that is in the same class?"

2-If there is ask your doctor if they are comfortable switching you to the generic. NOTE***Sometimes there is a medical reason the doctor feels you should be on the more expensive medication so approach your physician with the question but realize they may have a good reason not to switch you*** My experience has been that most of the time they are willing to let you try it.

3-Some drugs, despite being generic, are not really much cheaper so never assume that the word generic=cheap.


So to recap, if there is a drug that you are on that is really expensive or not paid for by your insurance ask your pharmacist about the class it is in and if there are other less expensive options in the same class.
Feel free to post any questions or comments below or email me at PhrugalPharmacist@gmail.com
I welcome any specific questions about drug classes also!

Price Matching

We are in the middle of some tough economic times. Businesses, including pharmacies, will do a lot to get and keep customers. One way that pharmacies do this is price match. Many major pharmacies will match the cash price (a term used to refer to the amount paid by a customer without insurance or in the case insurance won't cover a drug) of competitors. I have noticed that there isn't necessarily one particular pharmacy chain that has the lowest prices consistently.
It is a good idea to call several pharmacies and ask for the cash price of whatever quantity your prescription is written for. When you have the lowest price you can call your pharmacy and see if they will match their competitor's price.
I want to emphasize that cash prices have no effect on you if your insurance has you pay a set copay (i.e. $10 for all preferred generics) . Price matching is only beneficial to you if you are paying for the prescription without insurance or if your copay is a percentage of drug cost.
Feel free to leave questions or comments below or email me at PhrugalPharmacist@gmail.com

Insurance Companies

One of the most common questions that I get everyday is "How much will drug 'A' cost me on my insurance." The problem with this question is that there are so many plans and lots of variation on how each plan is structured. For example a patient who works for Verizon Wireless may have Blue Cross insurance. They may pay $10 for drug 'A'. Another patient who works for AT&T may also have Blue Cross insurance and pay $15 for drug 'A'. Plans under the same insurance will often time have different copay structures depending on the contract they have with your employer.
That is the long winded explanation why I, as a pharmacist, can't tell you your copay without typing up the Rx and submitting it to the insurance. This doesn't obligate you to fill the prescription but will give you your answer.
Another option is to call the insurance. There is usually a customer 800 or 888 number on the back of the card that you can call. Ask the representative if they can run a test claim on drug 'A' giving the quantity. They can process a sample claim and give you your exact copay. (Note they will only be able to give you the dollar amount if you have a set copay. If you pay a percentage copay then they can tell you what your percentage would be and then it would be up to you to find the pharmacy with the cheapest "cash" price)
This may sound confusing but with a bit of practice you can price check your prescriptions through the insurance. Some insurance companies have online access to your plan where you can view pricing information.
Questions??? Leave a comment or email me at PhrugalPharmacist@gmail.com

Welcome

This is the first post on my new blog. Lots of people are confused with how prescriptions are billed and paid for by insurance companies. Other people are concerned because they don't have insurance and want to know the best way to get the medicine they need and still afford gorceries.
I am very busy everyday that I work at a pharmacy and often don't have time to sit and explain strategies or methods to find cheaper drugs.
I am not going to advocate on behalf of any one pharmacy, drug company, insurance company etc.
I will post suggestions on how to make medication more affordable for you the consumer.
Please post any questions in the comments section and I would be more than glad to do a post regarding your question. Also, feel free to email me questions at PhrugalPharmacist@gmail.com