Photo by DawnVGilmorePhotography
The following is a guest post from Kristin of Making Cents out of Life:
Throughout the country, times are tough. Job losses have forced people to work for minimum wage, if they can find a job at all. Other people have been out of work for months or are facing major illness or rising costs of living. Families are finding ways to cut from their budgets to make ends meet, trimming away all seemingly unnecessary spending so that they have enough for their basic needs.
One of the things that is being cut from many budgets is medication because the cost for those who are under-insured or uninsured can be unfathomable. People can’t afford to think about the future, when that missed medication could cause greater hardship economically and physically. However, there are ways to cope with the exorbitant cost of medication, no matter your situation.
- Talk to your doctor about less expensive generic medications. Your doctor might be willing to try a less expensive medication that will serve the same purpose, and save you serious money. He may ask that you allow him to monitor you more closely until he is sure the drug works.
- Use generics whenever possible. Most medications have a generic equivalent that is just as good if not better, and a fraction of the cost. Before you leave your doctor’s office make sure he has marked the prescription so that you may get generics.
- Ask for samples of both short-term antibiotics and medications as well as routine medications. This can save you huge co-pays, especially for name brand medications. If you take a routine medication but see the doctor monthly, you should still ask for samples at your visits. The doctor may be able to provide you with samples until you get back on your feet.
- Shop around with different drugstores. The cost of prescription medication is not universal. There can be a huge difference, as much as 30% in my experience, in the cost of a medication between one drugstore and another (for example CVS and Rite Aid). Your favorite drugstore might price match, so be sure to ask.
- Use coupons for gift cards. Major drugstores often have coupons that offer gift cards (valued from $10 to $30) for new and transferred prescriptions. Some pharmacies will even accept their competitors’ coupons each time you fill a prescription. Not only will you save on medication but you will have the gift card to pay for other things your family needs.
- Understand your insurance. Perhaps I should have listed this first, but knowing and understanding what your insurance will cover will help you and your doctor develop a plan that will meet your healthcare needs.
- Use prescription assistance programs. Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPARX.org ) is a wonderful resource for finding a prescription program and other patient assistance programs that help pay for the medical care needs of those who are not able to afford them.
- FREE and discounted prescriptions. Tara recently shared a list of pharmacies that offer SDfree antibiotics or $4 prescriptions. Be sure to call around to see if any of your medications are on their lists.
Knowing where to look and knowing what is available often is what stands between people and proper medical care. There is no shame in asking your doctor for samples or for applying for help when you cannot afford to pay anything. A person’s health is much more important than pride.
Doing any of those things listed will not only save you money but could save your life. Take it from someone who’s been there and had to learn from her own mistakes; cutting out medication from your budget can lead to dire consequences, and there is no reason that you should suffer them.
Kristin Thompson is searching to find her niche in the world of blogging and has found her passion in helping people save money on medical care and other necessities. Born a paraplegic, she now works with companies to promote products and services that benefit her readers and their families. Find more money saving tips and ideas for economical daily living at Making Cents out of Life.
Lori
Gosh — It would be nice to have insurance…
After a divorce of a 24 yr marriage, I can’t afford insurance…
I always took it for granted. Now, nothing.
Jaclyn
Love the advice to ask for samples! My mom got 2 months worth of acne medication for my brother. Saved her hundreds of dollars. Never hurts to ask.
Sandra Krichbaum
For those in the southeast, Publix pharmacies will fill antibiotic prescriptions for FREE. I don’t know if any other grocery stores do this.
Swap Savers
Sometimes a prescription is less expensive if you don’t use your insurance (you sometimes have to pay a min co-pay which could be more than out of pocket) so you should ask the priced of both. I wrote “How to Save Money on Medical Costs” here
https://www.swapsavers.com/group/moneysavingarticles/forum/topics/how-to-save-money-on-medical
cwaltz
Sigh
We ended up paying $10 for something we should have paid $4 for at Target without our insurance(and missed out on a gift card to boot). That sucks. Oh well, live and learn.
jennifer u
Lori- You should look into a HSA insurance plans. Very reasonable rates and great tax advantages! I have a plan for myself and two children b/c my husbands work plan is expensive. Unfortunately because there is so much government regulation in health insurance (it can not be sold across state lines) you probably wouldn’t be eligible for my specific plan but you should look into plans in your area. This is a GREAT way to get quality insurance for a low price. FYI!
MaryMoo
generics are not the same as prescription medications – and as body chemistry is unique you may not respond the same to generic as you would your prescription due to being similar but not the same
however keeping this in mind generics are a good way to save money if you well tolerate the change
Lori
Jennifer,
Thank You! I’ll look into it.
Pamela C.
While most of the time generics are great, epilepsy medications are the one exceptions. Because they can vary minus twenty to plus twenty in ingredients and still be considered the equivalent to the name brand, this factor is enough to bring on seizures.
As a son who is an epileptic, we are fortunate, so far, that as long as the neurologist will put Brand Medically Necessary on his presciptions, the insurance has covered them (he is on four seizure medications). They would cost thousands of dollars of month. His life depends on them.
If it comes down to them denying them, I am not sure what we will do. We have contacted some of the companies and they do offer some programs to help those who can’t afford their medications.
We use the generics where we can, but this is one exception where it could be the matter of life and death.
pscole3467 at gmail dot com
Kristin @ Making Cents Out of Life
Thanks for posting, Tara!
I do agree that sometimes using generic medications isn’t an option. I used to take Coumadin, which is a blood thinner. It was expensive, considering my income at the time was negligible. However, my doctor was 100% against my taking the generic form of the medication even though it would have saved me about $40 a month. He simply said that in his experience it didn’t work the same and was harder to control. In my life, I can take generics about 95% of the time if one is available. It definitely depends on one’s body chemistry, and I always take my doctor’s advice.
My biggest tip has always been to keep the line of communication between yourself and your doctor wide open, and make him aware of what you can and cannot afford. There may be room for give and take, or there may be payment arrangements that can be made.
My grandmother died a few years ago, and I know more now about saving money on medication than I did then. I could have easily saved her tons of money each month if I had done more research, so I have to live with that guilt. I’m just hoping I can use the knowledge I have now to help someone else, or even someone else’s grandmother, from having to choose between paying their electric bill and filling a prescription.
I have a few more posts with more medical care savings I did a few months ago if anyone needs it. Also feel free to e-mail me (it’s on my blog) if anybody needs any more help.
Jane
Hi! Can ayone tell me how to get the free antibotics? My CVS charges me $20 and never mentions free..
Thanks!
Mary
Jane, if you have a schnucks grocery store check with them, I heard they are giving some antibotics for free. Wal-Mart, County Market, Target has prescriptions cheaper.
I also go to https://www.internetdrugcoupons.com/ and have saved quite a bit of money with them.
Check the websites of the medicines you are taking for coupons or rebates.
Jami
Two other ways to save money on prescriptions are as follows:
1. Use mail in pharmacy for any medications taken continually. The co-pay is usally about the same for 90 days as it is for 30-45 days at a retail pharmacy. If you have insurance, just call the number on your insurance card to find out who administers the mail in pharmacy benefit for your plan.
2. A lot of drugs have Coupons or Cards that take money off, or make a drug no more than $xx amount of dollars. Make sure to check with your doctor’s office or the medication website.
Anna in NC
I just went to the doctor this week. I do not have insurance, but knew I needed an antibiotic (she will give me samples but was out). The visit cost $84 but if I paid in full they would take 40% off – so $50. Then I had my antibiotic prescription filled at CVS (came to $22.05) and used my coupon for a $25 gift card.
Look forward to reading the above links on saving money.
Carolyn O
Jennifer U, what does the HSA stand for in your comment? We could be loosing our insurance and I have been shopping.
Justin Palmer
Another tip I’d add is to try using an discount drug card. Although these are usually for people without insurance, it can sometimes be cheaper to use the card than your regular copay. A google search for “discount drug card” will bring up dozens of different programs.
Here’s a few free ones that’s I’d recommend:
https://www.medsavercard.com/prices/
https://www.rxfreecard.com/
https://www.yourrxcard.com/
Lisa
If you are looking for ways to save money on your medication go to http://www.Medicationcoupons.com. They list OTC and Rx coupons plus you can find free medication samples too. They also have a free discount drug card that can save you up to 80% off the cost of your medication. You can’t use the discount drug card in combination with insurance but sometimes the savings from the discount card is less than what your co-pay would be. Here is a direct link to the discount card that you can print out and redeem at pharmacies all over the U.S.
https://www.medicationcoupons.com/card