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January 11, 2022
We’re here to help at Apex Benefits. If your employees have ongoing prescriptions, here are some places for them to save money if they need to continue pharmacy prescriptions. Share these suggestions which range from free all the way through to discounted drug programs and cards:
If Pharmacy Benefits Were Reduced:
- Consider mail order: you may be able to buy 3 months’ of prescription drugs through the mail with the cost of 2 copays instead of 3.
- Copay Assistance Programs: Many patient assistance programs below also have copay assistance. Read on to learn more.
Other Ways to Save on Prescriptions:
Potentially Free or Discounted:
- Patient Assistance Programs: Check and see if any brand name prescriptions might qualify for patient assistance at: https://mat.org/Medicine-Cost-Information. (They’ll need to know the company(ies) that manufacture their prescriptions, as programs are listed by company; reference DailyMed.)
- NeedyMeds at https://www.needymeds.org/, RxAssist at https://www.rxassist.org/ and RxHope at https:///www.rxhope.com are also options for consumers.
- Meijer: Offers free prescriptions on some generic antibiotics and selected prenatal vitamins
Lower Cost/Discounted:
- Walmart $4 drug list: https://www.walmart.com/cp/4-dollar-prescriptions/1078664
- Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company has lost-cost specialty generic drugs at https://costplusdrugs.com/
- Drug discount coupons: Try WellRx – https://www.wellrx.com/ and GoodRx
- Parachute Rx: https://my.express-scripts.com/parachuterx.html
- Savings Clubs:
- Kroger has partnered up with GoodRx for the Kroger Rx Savings Club: https://www.krogersc.com/, and
- Amazon Prime Drug List — the online mega retailer has its own catalog at https://www.amazon.com/s?i=amazon-pharmacy
- Walgreens has its own Prescription Savings Drug Program: https://www.walgreens.com/images/adaptive/pdf/psc/PSCBrochure-English-20180628.pdf.
- Costco – Don’t forget the big box discount stores; they, too may have a discount Member Prescription Program
Discount Coupons for Cash Pay
- Blink Health at https://www.blinkhealth.com/
- EasyDrugCard at https://easydrugcard.com/
- OPTUM Perks at https://perks.optum.com/
- SingleCare at https://www.singlecare.com/
- Visory Health at https://www.visoryhealth.com/
Ask for Discounts
Asking for discounts is common now at the pharmacy counter. Pharmacists will often work with patients if they’ve been loyal customers over time, and some may match prices. Also note that not all pharmacies take all discount coupons like GoodRx and WellRx either. These should only be used in a full loss of pharmacy benefits, so it is wise to ask prior to transferring prescriptions.
While it is ideal to have all prescription drugs at one pharmacy so a pharmacist can monitor for drug interactions and duplicate therapies, it is equally as important to your employees that they adhere to their medication schedules and find more affordable options when necessary.
Other articles on how to save money on prescription drugs from Apex: Secrets to Reducing Medication Costs
Click the link below to download a full list of pharmacies, vendors and other programs available to save on prescripton drugs.