15 Smart Ways to Reduce Rx Costs

With the cost of living going up, most people are looking for ways to cut costs and make their dollar stretch as far as possible. One way to do this is by saving on your prescription medicine costs. Here are 15 money saving tips that can drastically reduce your pharmacy costs. You will have to figure out which will work for you since some of them have income restrictions. I have provided as much information about each idea as possible. I am confident that everyone who reads this will be able to find at least one idea that will save you money on your medications.

1. Samples - Call or stop by your doctor's office and ask for samples! Make a list of all of your medications and see if your doctor can give you samples. Sometimes you may be able to get samples for a month or two worth of drugs and occasionally there might be a coupon to save you money on your next refill. Make sure you really think about this, don't just call your PCP (Primary Care Doctor). If you see any specialists make sure you ask them as well. Some of your specialists might be in Rheumatology, Cardiology, Urology, Endocrinology, Psychiatry, Immunology, Ophthalmology, Oncology, Gynecology and Neurology to name a few. This will be one of the quickest and easiest ways to save on your medications.

2. Generics - Many pharmacies are now offering $4 generic drugs. I believe Walmart started the trend but luckily others have decided to follow. Now Target and even some grocery stores, such as Safeway and Smith's, are offering the same deal. I was happy to find that there is an online drugstore that has decided to join in too. Smart Choice Drugstore is based out of Austin, Texas and they also are selling cancer medicines at cost. This sounds like a great company to me! Here is an article I found about them http://www.news8austin.com/content/your_news/?SecID=278&ArID=172076. I do want to dispel some myths about generics and the $4/month supply though. First, please ask your doctor if it is okay for you to switch to a generic on your medication. Despite what many people say, not all generics are equal to their name brand counterparts. Most are but please just be on the safe side and ask your doctor or pharmacist. Also, depending on which generic drug you are getting, it could be $4 a month or $4 a week... please make sure you check into this!

3. Mail Order Pharmacy - Sometimes it can be cheaper to order your medications through an online pharmacy. If you have prescription insurance you might want to call your carrier and see if they have a preferred mail order pharmacy where you can save even more. For example, in my area if you are on Medicare and go through Humana they have a preferred mail order pharmacy. If you order through them then you don't have to pay your $5.xx co-payment.

4. Warehouse Club Stores - Always call around to any and every pharmacy in your area but don't forget to call Costco, Sam's Club and BJ's. You do not have to have a membership to have your medications filled at these pharmacies and on certain drugs it can save you a bundle! Once my husband had to fill an antibiotic that would have cost over $100 at every pharmacy we checked, but at Costco it ended up being about a quarter of the cost for this one particular drug. Make sure you check each and every drug because some may not be cheaper.

5. Caremark/ National Association of Counties - You can get a free drug discount card through here. If you've ever seen or heard about the drug discount cards you can pick up at your local library then chances are it's through Caremark. In fact, I have even had one sent to me with one of my monthly bank statements! Their website may also include other ideas that could be of help to you. To visit their site:
http://www2.caremark.com/naco
To see if your county participates in this program:
www.caremark.com/portal/asset/NACo.pdf

6. Drug Company Programs - . Most drug companies have their own programs that can help and you can get your drugs either free or at a discount. Each company has their own way of doing things (for some you have to qualify by income and for others it's just based on need) so for each company you have meds through, take a few minutes and check them out! Some of these are only for people without any insurance and others can be used even if you do have insurance. Here are a few:

Merck - They have 4 different programs.

I. Patient Assistance Program - if you have no drug coverage and can't afford your medication, you may be able to get your Merck meds for free.

II. Prescription Discount Program - If you don't have drug coverage (or perhaps your insurance doesn't cover this particular medication) then you may be able to get a discount on your Merck medications regardless of age or income.

III. Vaccine Patient Assistance Program - If you are over age 19 and don't have health insurance you may be able to get your vaccines for free.

IV Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage - If you have Medicare you may be able to sign up for their Medicare Prescription Drug Program.

Please check out Merck's website for further information:
http://www.merck.com/consumer/

Pfizer - they have different programs for different situations so you'll have to check it out and answer the short questionnaire. It is similar to Merck in that there is a program based on income and there is another program that anyone may qualify for.
http://www.pfizerhelpfulanswers.com/...c/Default.aspx

Novartis - You'll probably have to give them a call and ask for details on their program.
http://www.novartis.com/index.shtml

GlaxoSmithKline - You can ask for the 'Orange Card' by calling 1-888-ORANGE6 or ask your doctor or pharmacist for an application.

Wyeth - to participate in the Patient Assistance Program call (800) 568-9938 or visit this website.
www.wyeth.com

Lilly - Please check out this link.. I think Lilly has provided great programs as well. They make discounts available to anyone who needs them and you may even be able to get your medication for free!
www.lilly.com

7. Partnership for Prescription Assistance - This is the program you would always see Montel Williams promoting. Please check them out, you may really be able to find some great help through them to get your meds cheap or possibly even free!
www.pparx.org/Intro.php

8. FREE Gift Cards - Most pharmacies now are putting out coupons for free gift cards if you fill a new or transferred prescription. They usually range from $10-$25 each. This has helped us out a lot! No, you usually can't use the gift card when you are purchasing your medications but you can use it for anything else in the store. So, pay for other things with your gift cards you normally would need to buy anyway. I want to tell you a way to take this a step further though. Recently CVS started accepting competitors' prescription coupons. If your meds are currently at some other pharmacy then I suggest as you get the CVS gift card coupons you switch each medication over one by one with the coupons because they have the biggest payout at $25 each (with their own coupons). Once you are filling your meds there, you can give CVS a coupon from Target, K-mart, Winn-Dixie or anyone who puts out free gift card coupons for new or transferred prescriptions to CVS and they will give you the amount listed on a CVS gift card to stay with them! Most other places offer $10 gift cards. So, not a bad deal, make $25 to transfer each medicine to CVS and then make at least $10 on each drug every month just for keeping it with them and not switching to some other pharmacy!!! This is now one of my favorite ways of saving! Also keep in mind to get the CVS discount card and make sure you use it as you'll earn other free money in Extra Care Bucks that are used like cash at CVS.

9. Pill Splitting - On some medications it pays to get a higher dosage and then split the pill into the dose you need, giving you an extra month (possibly even two) at a lower price than you would pay if you were filling it each month. Please check with your doctor and pharmacist to see if you might be able to do this with any of your meds and if it will pay for you to do so. I think some drugs this works for and others it doesn't pay, so make sure to ask!

10. Flexible Spending Account - I don't know a lot of information about FSA's but I know that if it's available to you, you can transfer your pre-tax money into this account and use it for your medical costs. If you have a FSA available to you it might be worth checking into.

11. Drug Coupons - Yes, it's true! There are coupons for your prescription drugs as well as OTC (over the counter). This really can save you some cash so please look through it and take advantage of anything you can!
www.internetdrugcoupons.com

12. Rx Assist - This is a directory of Patient Assistance Programs
www.rxassist.org/default.cfm

13. Disease Based Assistance - You may be able to get assistance from places based on a disease or condition you have. Please visit this website and check on any condition you have to see if there is another program to help you.
www.needymeds.com/copay_diseases.taf?

14. Prescription Savings Plan - Make sure you put in that you have no drug coverage When it asks about the income qualifications make sure you check the box that says you meet it. I believe this takes about a week or so for it to come in the mail but it saves you 25%-40%. http://www.prescriptionplanbenefits.com/cgi-bin/index2.mp?s=27112&r=aaa&m=ibd3743099x136669298&c=139330&p

15. Specific Drug Discounts - Look up each and every medication you are on. They should each have their own website. Each particular drug may also have its own specific program. An example would be the asthma and allergy prescription, Singulair. I happen to take Singulair and I am about to sign up for their 'AIR Program'. The AIR Program allows you to save up to $40 and they also send you information about asthma and Singulair. Please visit https://www.theairprogram.com/ to get an idea of what you are looking for when you pull up each medication you are on.

I hope that you've found these ideas helpful and that they will work for you! Every little bit counts when you are trying to cut costs and the savings can really add up by the end of the year, and that means keeping more money in your pocket!