Ways to Fill Your Prescriptions When You Are Strapped for Cash
The price of medication has increased significantly over the last decade. According to a recent survey from Consumer Reports, about 45% of uninsured people have been unable to fill one or more prescriptions. This can be a serious problem for people who need medication to treat diabetes, coronary heart disease or other serious medical issues. Fortunately, there are a number of ways that you can make drug purchases more affordable.
Find Out What Discounts Are Available
There are a number of different discount programs that you may be able to take advantage of. For example, some providers may offer an androgel discount card. There are some discount cards for seniors on Medicare which allow you to save 10-25% on different prescriptions in addition to the amount that Medicare already covers.
You may want to research them and see if you meet the eligibility requirements. Most of these programs are run by the government, but there are others that you may want to look at as well.
Here are a few things that you will need to know before applying for one of these discount programs:
- They may have limited eligibility requirements. Many government based prescription discount programs are only available to seniors. Others are restricted to people who have specific medical conditions or are taking certain drugs.
- Some can’t be used in conjunction with insurance. You will want to find out whether you can combine these discounts with your insurance before buying them. However, you may still pay less with them instead of using your insurance, so you will want to find out what the savings are.
You can always contact the issuers of these cards to find out more. Your pharmacy or doctor can give you more information about different pharmacy cards you may be eligible for.
Choosing a Pharmacy to Shop At
You always want to make sure that you are an informed shopper. This is especially important when you’re buying medication because it so much more expensive than most of the other things you will purchase. You will want to compare prices since they can vary considerably especially between generic medications.
Unfortunately, it can be difficult to know what different pharmacies are charging. There are a few different things that you can try to compare prices.
Speak With Your Doctor
Most doctors know a lot about the different medications on the market. They can probably tell you how much different pharmacies charge.
Try Consumer Reports
Their website can help you compare prices of hundreds of medications across different pharmacies. The prices are usually pretty up to date.
Consider Splitting Higher Dose Pills
Most pills cost roughly the same regardless of their dose. You may be able to save money by ordering high dose pills and cutting them in half.
However, you will want to make sure that you do this carefully. It can be difficult to cut your pill perfectly which can mean that you are taking a slightly higher or lower dose than you need. You may want to consider buying a pill cutter if you are interested in doing this. Pill cutters cost between $3-$8.
About the author: Adam is a lifestyle writer who talks about staying healthy on a frugal budget. He believes that health and wellness should be everyone’s priority regardless of their financial situation.
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