At one time or another we’re all going to need some type of medication. We’ll go to the doctor and get a prescription, and then we’ll have to find some way to pay for those expensive drugs. But do they have to be expensive? Absolutely not! Did you know that prescription drugs are not sold at a set price? The price of the same drug varies wildly from store to store. So you have to be informed! In this post I’m going to explain how to save money on prescriptions.
HOW TO SAVE MONEY ON PRESCRIPTIONS
Last year, my husband was really struggling with allergies. Like, sneezing or blowing his nose every five seconds. It was awful.
So, he went to his doctor. His doctor gave him a prescription for the generic of Singulair.
Then, he went to the name-brand pharmacy down the street and got it filled.
When he went to pick it up, he found out that it cost over $300!
And sadly, it was not covered by our insurance.
After this traumatic and expensive experience, we started looking into ways to save money on prescriptions.
Turns out, there’s plenty of options.
SAY NO TO THOSE HIGH PRICES
Did you know that you can refuse to purchase a filled prescription based on the price?
We didn’t! That story about my husband’s prescription would have had a very different ending if we had.
But you totally can.
If you drop off your prescription and the pharmacy fills it but it turns out to be super expensive, you can just say “Oh, I didn’t know it cost that much, I’m not going to get it.”
And they can’t make you pay for it.
You can take the prescription back and bring it to another, less expensive pharmacy.
If, for whatever reason, they won’t give you back your original paper prescription, just call you doctor’s office and have them send the prescription to a new pharmacy.
FIND THE LOWEST PRICE
The truth is that prescription drug prices are not regulated.
They can vary store to store by hundreds of dollars.
Hundreds.
Isn’t that so crazy?
So, do a little research before you fill anything.
My husband found a great website that can help you find the lowest price for a prescription, called GoodRx.com.
The GoodRx services 100% free.
They just help you find the lowest price pharmacy for your prescriptions.
If you search for a particular medication, they’ll list the price for it at all the area pharmacies.
This makes it super easy to compare prices.
GoodRx.com also gathers coupons and discounts for you to use on your prescriptions.
Oftentimes pharmaceutical companies do have coupons available, it’s just hard to find them. GoodRx makes that easy. They also have mobile coupons available.
ANOTHER CHEAP SECRET
Does it seem like all the pharmacies are super expensive? Don’t fear! There is a diamond in the rough. And it’s our favorite big ol’ warehouse store, Costco!
Fun Fact: Did you know that you can use the pharmacy at Costco without having a membership? Anyone can use the Costco pharmacy, and it’s usually a whole lot cheaper that the name-brand pharmacies.
We’ve been using Costco exclusively for all of our prescriptions for the past year. At first we were comparing prices for every prescription we got, but we were finding that Costco is always the cheapest.
And I was pregnant in that time, and then I had this horrible eye infection, so we have had plenty of prescriptions.
I know many of you don’t have a Costco nearby. But if you do, take advantage of them.
PAY LESS FROM NOW ON
You are now educated and empowered to spend less on your prescriptions. From here on out, you will not just accept those high prices. Because you know what? You don’t have to.
Refuse overpriced medications (even if they already filled it). Shop around and use GoodRx to help you compare prices. And if you have a Costco near you, they’re probably the cheapest option.
What else do you do to save money on prescriptions? Let us know in the comments below.
Psst… Want to save even more? Hop on my email list here. It’s my favorite place to give you money saving tips and insights that I just don’t share anywhere else. Plus you’ll get lots of free financial tools just for signing up.
Want more? Here are some of my best posts:
The Beginner’s Guide to Cutting Expenses
3 Tips to cut your Electric Bill in Half
2 Ways to Pay Off Debt: which one is right for you?
5 Tips to Spend Less on Groceries
You can also ask for the generic medicine I get mine done at Wal-Mart and it doesn’t cost more than4 dollars
great idea!
So thankful for this blog. I can save a lot of money with goodrx