Prescription discount card--great for the unisured!

[2moreyears]

Maybe this information has been provided before, but we just found out about it through a family member who is currently without health insurance or prescription coverage. Their doctor had cards in the office, but anyone can get one on the website too.

www.freeusdrugcard.com

It is a community assistance program that discounts prescriptions. You can sign up for one right there.

The family member called the 800 number on the card, and the customer service agent was able to quote the price for a specific drug at 3 local pharmacies. (Each pharmacy had a different price so it was worth calling) Originally the price was quoted as high as $45 but with the card, they were able to save $31 by going to a local pharmacy that they may not have considered.

The discount is 55% on generics, 15% on brand names. So if you cannot use a generic, the discount unfortunately is not so great, but it can really help with those newer generics which can be pricey.

Hope this info is helpful to you or someone you know.

[lemming]

It is a dot com but you say it is a community assistance program.
Who is behind it?

[JOHNNIE36]

There is all kind of discounts out there if you have the time and inclination to check it out. I buy a lot of our generic drugs at WalMart and this helps keep you out of the donut hole (if you are on some plan). Also, Publix is a big grocery store in Florida and a couple other southern states. They provide some drugs free of charge, like antibiotics.

[2moreyears]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lemming It is a dot com but you say it is a community assistance program. Who is behind it?

I don't know--I only can say it's legitimate. I am not even sure if it's nationwide or just a NJ thing.

Just wanted to share it since it was something I hadn't heard of.

[meierlde]

Of course the first thing to do is to check Wal-Marts and Costco's web sites for the $10 for 3 month program (some other grocery stores may do the same). The list of medications is on line, so you can check there. The $10 is less than the co-pay on most insurance.

[Gotadimple]

Also very useful is GoodRx - Prescription Drug Prices at Local and Online Pharmacies
This site compares the cost of a prescription in your zip code and provides coupons that you can use to reduce the cost of the prescription.

I recently used them to buy blood pressure medicine for my dog and reduced the cost of a 30 day supply by half.

They are based in San Diego CA.

-- Rita

[Sue J]

I just sent my first prescription to Costco.com to save about half on losartan. We have a prescription plan with ExpressScripts but Costco is cheaper. You don't have to be a Costco member and you can do it all through the mail.

[2moreyears]

These are all great suggestions. In the case I described, Costco was the cheapest without the discount card ($20), but WalMart with the card was the cheapest (14). So yes, Costco is very good, and all the place with the discounts on older drugs are absolutely fabulous!!!!

The main benefit I saw with this card (hence my posting) is that if you have an expensive generic, (typically newer/less prescribed ones), you may do better with the card. And since they will tell you by calling, it saves you some time.

[JakeBrake]

I have discovered that it's a good idea to complain (poor mouth) to your doctor about the cost of meds. I don't think doctors are too aware of the cost of some meds. Doctors often keep a large supply of free samples furnished by sales people they can hand out. They also often have discount programs for particular brand name meds or they can prescribe lower cost meds.

[Ronnieboy]

Here is my suggestion to cash pharmacy customers:

Take a list of your current maintenance medications to a couple of pharmacies in your area. Once you get the prices of all your meds, choose the one pharmacy that a) you like to do business with and b) is the best deal for all your meds overall.

It is best to get all your prescriptions at one pharmacy, that way everytime you get a new prescription all your records will be at one place and any potential drug interactions can be caught there. It doesn't help the pharmacist if you get your Coumadin at Wal-Mart because you saved $4 but get the rest of your stuff at Walgreens because they have a drive thru. How is Walgreens going to know that your new anti-inflammatory is going to interact with the rx you have at Wal-Mart?

If you have insurance and you pay a flat copay of say $5 for generic and $15 for brand (I know, pretty rare, but just for example) go to the pharmacy that treats you the best and you like to go to, since you will pay the same copay no matter where you go.