HOW CAN I SAVE MONEY ON MY PRESCRIPTIONS?
This is a very costly part of many budgets because the cost of prescription drugs has become outrageous. There are a few key things that I keep in mind when my Dr writes for a new prescription, when I need to fill an existing prescription. I have also added a few resources for those of you who may not have any prescription drug coverage at all and might be paying completely out of pocket for your prescriptions.
Some ideas to help you save money on your prescriptions
You may be able to get samples of certain medications - If your doctor is writing for a new or costly prescription, keep in mind that they may have samples available in their office. Drug reps often bring samples or discount cards to physician offices to allow the physicians to offer these to their patients. It can't hurt to ask at your Doctors office if they have samples of a medication for you to try especially if you are unsure about taking the medication and staying on it. If you have no prescription drug coverage at this time or know that it will be costly with insurance this can also be very helpful. This may not work at every office or on every prescription, but it can help in some situations and it will not cost your Dr anything extra to provide these to you.
Are there any free gift cards or money back offered with new or transferred prescriptions? Check your local advertisements for CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreens, Meijer, Giant Eagle, Kroger or Target pharmacies. These are frequently advertised in the Sunday ads and come as a coupon you clip and take with you to the pharmacy. Some like Meijer print these coupons off at the registers on occasion as well.
Prescription refill frequency clubs - If you use a specific pharmacy location each time you fill a prescription, check to see if they might have a prescription frequency program such as our CVS or Meijer offer. You can check out CVS extra care pharmacy rewards or Meijer Mperks. With these frequent customer programs you earn money back off your next shopping trip or gasoline fill up after you have reached a certain number of refills.
Meijer offers some free prescriptions - You can get some free prescriptions through Meijer Pharmacy including free prenatal vitamins throughout your pregnancy. Check here for more details on what medications are completely covered through Meijer Pharmacy.
Kroger's RX savings club - Kroger has a program designed to help you save money on your prescriptions if you do not already have an RX insurance coverage. Checkout more details here.
Pharmacy discount programs - Many Physician offices have cards that they offer for prescription drug discounts to those without insurance. A few good ones are......Good Rx go to GoodRx.com for more details on how the program works or call 1-844-329-3341, Single Care for more details or to order a free card visit singlecare.com or call 1-800-974-3130, Healthcare Alliance for more details or to order a free card go to thehealthcarealliance.com or call 1-866-368-1436. These companies will help you get the best prices on prescription drugs at select retailers without having any RX coverage through an insurance plan. These companies do not offer an insurance coverage that you need to purchase, these are simply to help you locate the best cost for your prescription medications.
Sam's club and Costco - Some Medications can be purchased discounted through your local Costco or Sam's club. These often require a prescription written for a 3 month supply by your physician. You can also find some medications over the counter that will save you significantly at Costco or Sam's club in large amounts at a super discount rate. For example I purchase generic Claritin for my allergies once a year at Costco and it typically costs me between $8.99 and $12 depending on if it is on sale or not. This is way cheaper than even the generic Claritin over the counter at your local grocery or drug store and it will last 365 days at that price. What a great deal!
Flexible spending accounts - if your employer offers a flexible spending account and you already have existing prescriptions that you purchase all the time this can help save as well. These are accounts set up when you select your health insurance coverage that can help you pay for your prescription and healthcare costs pre tax. Meaning the money goes into these accounts prior to taxes coming out to help you pay for these healthcare expenses. Be careful not to put aside too much that you will be unable to use within the year. Some flexible spending accounts will not allow you to use the balance into the next year and therefore you would actually lose money doing this if you are unable to spend it by the deadline.
I hope that some of these ideas will help you save significantly this coming year on the costs of your prescriptions. If you have any questions on anything I covered here I would be happy to attempt to answer them. You can leave your questions below or you an email me personally at savingjoyfully@outlook.com
