Saving Money on Prescriptions – even if you have insurance
If you’ve had to buy a prescription drug lately, and a generic brand is not available, you know how costly that can be, even if you have insurance. My doctor recently prescribed a medication for me that has been life changing for a condition I have had and will have my entire life. It took my insurance company three weeks to approve the drug, and the cost is more than $50 a month. Ouch! If I had to pay for it without insurance, it would be several hundred dollars a month. Double ouch!
One day when I was on the phone with the insurance company for an entire hour (much of that was on hold), I decided to go to the website for that particular medication to see if they had any coupons. I figured while I was waiting on the insurance company to make a decision, I could just get a one week-supply of the medication and pay the full cost, minus any discounts on that website. I was pleasantly surprised with what I found.
The manufacturer of my prescription offers a savings card that saves me $15 off my co-pay once a month. Instead of $52 a month, the cost of my prescription came down to $37 a month. That’s still a lot, but by using that card, I’m saving $180 a year on a medication I have to take.
That got me to wondering how many other drugs have similar offers that most people never think to look for. At random, I started pulling up websites for medications I’ve seen featured on television commercials, as well as medications my son takes for asthma. I was surprised to see how many drug manufacturers offer programs to help people save money on their medications.
Some will help even if you have insurance, and some have programs specifically for people with no prescription drug insurance. If you take a medication regularly, you may want to search for that medication’s website and see what type of savings you can find. If you can’t find it there, find out the name of the pharmaceutical company that manufactures your medication, and go to that website to see if they have a program that helps you afford your medication. Here are links to prescription assistance programs for some of the top pharmaceutical companies in the country:
If there is a generic brand available for the medication you take, check with your pharmacy about programs they may offer. Wal-Mart has hundreds of medications for just $4. Tom Thumb, Albertsons, CVS, Walgreens and Kroger offer similar programs for generic drugs. Don’t be afraid to ask. There’s no harm in saving money on a medication that is saving your life.
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