Behind the scenes of everything you see here on the blog, I’ve been talking with someone close to me. She and her husband are dealing with medical mayhem. He’s sick and she’s doing what she can to help and advocate for him.
They’ve been on a journey down this road for some time and like anyone on a medical journey, it can get long and frustrating. One of the things they are facing now is dealing with drug costs and how insurance covers them.
I’ve been there…and I’ve done this. I’ve talked about it before as well.
One of the medicines…
they are needing is well into the thousands of dollars. The name of the drug was listed as generic. I ended up helping her out by looking up the name of the non-generic form. Then I looked up the website of the non-generic form. Then I found out that there is a financial assistance program for that drug. I ended up sending her the link to the financial assistance form and they applied and got help.
MANY drug companies have financial assistance for drugs that are super high priced. Right now I am taking oral chemo and my insurance wouldn’t cover it. I was able to get for free from the company through their financial assistance program.
Do I love to be using a program that offers financial assistance?…No. But it is there for people like me and if it means a chance for a few more years with my family, I’m going to do it. Pride or not.
I am on a med that helps with blood pressure. I’m only on a low dose. Several years ago, I was initially prescribed Crestor. It was like $200 for 30 days. UGH. I ended up asking for a generic and it was much cheaper. About a year later, my generic price went up high…I ended up talking with the pharmacy, went online and got coupons, and then changed my prescription to 90 days and it was only $40. HOW CRAZY IS THAT??
I then learned that the prices of medicine and how it’s covered change regularly. If the price of your meds suddenly goes up, there is a chance that changing to a generic or even ask your doctor if another brand will work, can help you keep your prescription drug costs down. Sometimes prices are cheaper if switching to a 90-day prescription.
If you are prescribed medicine and the costs are high…please work and advocate for yourself. The price can likely come down. Your doctor and your pharmacy can help.
You can also help yourself. Go online. Type into your search bar the name of your medicine and then the word coupon. Often times there is a coupon to bring the cost down. Sometimes even cheaper than what your insurance co-pay is. Once I brought two coupons in and between the two coupons, I was able to get my meds cheaper than the insurance price.
Whatever you do…don’t give up on getting the medicine you need. If you’re not savvy with a computer, I’m sure there is someone in your life that can help. Just have them read this blog post and they will quickly know how to search to make your prescription drug costs more affordable.
Thank you Jo for recognizing the need for this post. You have so much compassion for your fellow man and the means to pass this message to others.
Thank you for sharing such good information. Thankfully at this time I don’t need Rx, but maybe I will sooner or later. It is good to have this reference.
My husband had a knee replacement last week and we ran into trouble getting his doctor prescribed pain meds. The insurance company decided he should only get x amount of pills – about half what the doc prescribed. We asked to get the scrip filled off insurance and there was no problem with the number of doses and the cost wasn’t even that high! It’s aggravating that insurance companies decide things like this. The nurse said she’d like one of the decision makers to have a total knee replacement and only get the pain meds that they decide! You are so right about advocating for yourself Jo. Research and advocate!
Thank you, Jo, for sharing this info. When you’re on a medical journey for yourself or with another, it can be so overwhelming to fight all the battles that are placed before you. Having information and options lessens that feeling of powerlessness and gives you the courage to keep on keepin’ on. And it’s true that you are not alone in this……
In the early 2000″s my grandparents had same problem with grandpop on nebulizer once a day oxygen 24/7 and both on a myriad of expensive medications . My grandmother had many sleepless nights and confessed to me she was cutting her pills in half because she couldn’t afford them so I chipped. In. Frustrating to know this still continues. Thanks for the info Jo❤
You might want to check out Mark Cuban’s website: https://www.healthline.com/health-news/mark-cubans-new-online-pharmacy-how-it-could-disrupt-the-prescription-drug-industry.
He has started an online pharmacy and selling generic drugs at very low prices.
I can vouch for Mark Cuban’s website. I shop around frequently for my parents. I was able to bring an $800/month Rx down to $30 with GoodRx.
It’s just criminal in my opinion to charge that mark up!
Bless you, Jo, for spreading the word that there is help out there! Reach out! My brother says they do a lot of resource sharing when he goes to lunch at the Senior Center.
My husband has a prescription that two weeks ago, Walgreen’s wanted 70.00 for a 90 day supply. GoodRx was able to get it to 15.63 for a 90 day supply. I downloaded the coupon from GoodRx onto his phone. He went to Kroger to get it filled and there was NO COPAY!!! So, yes, shop around!
I keep getting GoodRX cards in the mail periodically, but I can’t figure out why because I’ve never asked for them. It kinda sketches me out. Shouldn’t a person have to request them? As I don’t use any prescriptions, I’ve always just tossed the cards. Jo just never stops helping does she?
FYI I have also used GoodRX for my dogs. It has saved a lot of money!
I should also add that even GoodRx has different prices through different sources. The price for one medicine thru GoodRx promoted through a online shopping service was higher than my own off-the-internet GoodRx price!
I use Good-RX and it really cuts the costs of my meds. My pharmacist checks the price with my insurance as well as with GoodRX and charges me the lower price. There are several things out there similar to Good-RX. Ask your doctors…my told me about the one I use.
Great information! Thank goodness I don’t need it now but you never know.
Thanks again for caring and sharing!
My husband needs 40 mg of one of his meds. We asked the doctor to prescribe 80 mg. Our insurance makes us copay for one 90 day supply. We cut that pill in half and it lasts 180 days. It doesn’t work with some pills or capsules. Our doctor is very sympathetic with drug costs.
Another hint: Always ask your doctor for samples. The drug reps get paid to leave samples and most doctors forget they have them.
Don’t feel bad about taking assistance from a drug maker. Many of the cancer drugs have this, some don’t even care what your income is. I was on a regimen a few years ago that cost about $40,000 a month! I got $15,000 in assistance which really helped.
Type Good Rx into your search bar, when you get to that screen type in the name of your medication . It will compare pharmacies and tell you the price . Take the coupon to your pharmacy and they should price match with good Rx prices !
Ask anybody and everybody for help and there is nothing to be embarrassed about. A few years ago when I was going through chemo, they had me take a particular shot every week for the last few months. I don’t even remember what it was for now but it was $1000 a jab for a total of over $12,000. My oncologist’s PA gave me the info to apply to a foundation that would cover the cost and I didn’t have to pay for any of it. Help is out there but sometimes you have to really dig to find the right person with the right info. I was so blessed with excellent care and providers.
My clinic has a medication assistance program. If your in a fix, ie between insurance coverage, they can give you enough for a few weeks to a month. If you need help long term they will help you apply for assistance based on income.
Type Good Rx into your search bar, when you get to that screen type in the name of your medication . It will compare pharmacies and tell you the price . Take the coupon to your pharmacy and they should price match with good Rx prices !
I’d also add that one can check prices using Good RX (at http://www.good RX.com). just enter your medication, the dosage and the number of pills in your script and sometimes the price through that program is less than your insurance co-pay! And a 90 day supply is usually less/month than a one month supply. You can also search various local pharmacies for the best price on your particular medication using the goodRX website.
If you’re near a Walmart, they have a medication list for some medications priced as low as $4 for the entire month. Ask the pharmacist or look online. Some pharmacies will price match to Walmart. I believe Costco may be one of them.
Lastly, check your insurance pharmacy benefit plan as sometime through mail order you’ll save more, often getting 60 days for the price of 90. Also, without insurance, the RX may lower cost via mail order versus a brick and mortar store.
Prescriptions have become a maze of pitfalls and unnecessary expense. Once you’ve done the research, you generally don’t have to do it again unless you add a medication, your insurance plan changes, or you experience a jump in price.
Great info Jo! I’d also like to add that having a doctor that will fight the insurance company for you is beyond helpful. When I was pregnant with my 4th baby two years ago, I had to be on high dose progesterone shots to prevent the preterm labor I’d experienced with my first babies. My insurance wouldn’t cover any of it. I needed weekly shots and each shot was about $1300 out of pocket. There was no way we could afford that but my doctor really went to bat for me, got it covered and I wasn’t even charged a copay. I’m forever thankful for that doctor and that my baby was born full term!
Very good advice. I am eternally grateful for both myhusband and I staying in the Air Force Reserve until retirement. What a blessing that is.
Mark Cuban started Costplusdrugs.com. They eliminate the middle man and drugs are noticeably cheaper. My nurse son told us about it. Check out their website: https://costplusdrugs.com/
Such important information to share. Thank you.
Check out https://costplusdrugs.com/. My nurse son shared this new company that eliminates the middle man and lowers prescription drug costs considerably.
Thank you Jo for being an advocate for all of us. I’m all for helping people keep the price of their meds down Sotheby’s can continue to live in their homes. Good for you.
Always shop around for meds. Drug prices can vary quite a bit between pharmacies. Also, check to see if you have to have a membership to Costco or Sam’s Cub to use their pharmacy. You do not in my state. One supermarket pharmacy here has some antibiotics and other generic drugs at no cost. This is where my husband gets his hypertension medication…for free.
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I take a thyroid replacement drug and the cost kept rising like you said. Thru WalMart I get a 90 day supply for $10. They have lots of prescription meds available for $10. Ask!
I take a very expensive drug for rheumatoid arthritis and the company who manufactures it has an excellence co-pay card. I agree 100℅ Jo that it pays to go online, type in the drug and the word co-pay card and that too can get you some assistance. With the outrageous price of drugs, we need all the help we can get! Great post and I appreciate you sharing wit all of us! Blessings to you!
The shame is that in a country that has the brains to sort out a better system for equitable medical coverage, we don’t have the will. What we have doesn’t work and we are afraid to TRY to change it. Like any change would be set in stone, what is ever set in stone???lol Our health and drug coverage in this country is the one bit of patchwork I wish was NOT so scrappy!!!
Your posting was very informative and all of the follow-up from your readers even more so. I will check into Drug Rx for a few of our meds and also with our pharmacy.
I also use Good Rx. Just yesterday I got my $274 blood pressure medication for $57! And, I take a thyroid medication that is $4 for 30 days or $10 for 90 days at Wal-Mart. So, that’s $40 a year for a med that I’ll be on the rest of my life.
Thank you for the drug tips.
Good RX has an app that can be downloaded on your phone, can’t tell you how many times I used it.
Has anyone found that if you’re on Medicare, that Medicare will not let you use a coupon to lower the price of the RX ? I’ve been told, it’s because it has to do with the government. I have asked, why…and keep getting the same excuse, as I take a med that cost over 400.00 a month, my insurance will only cover a small part of that cost, Then at different times I go to pay for it, and the pharmacy only charges me $80.00. I just do not understand the manipulation of all these drug prices. It really gets my blood pressure up. I decided I’d try to lower the cost if it works, so be it. But if I can’t, I’ll just suck up the cost as long as monetarily possible, as I’d rather sew my quilt pieces together than attempt to deal with some of these idiots I’ve had to deal with on the phone or sit on hold with in an attempt to get some monetary help. I wish the best to everyone in their journey to attempt to get monetary help with their RX woes. On another note my husband’s RX insurance supplement to Medicare just went from $23.40 a month to over $125.60 a month. The justification excuses are enough to make you want to yank the person delivering that news, thru the phone !! Take care every one,
My Medicare Rx was set to do the very same thing in 2022, so I shopped for new plans during the open enrollment period and got a much, much better plan. I was so glad I read the notice they mailed out. I get so much Medicare-related mail, that I wasn’t very good at reading all of it – either timely or at all. I’m much better at it now. :-)
An excellent post! This is so true and actually, literally, just happened to my husband today. Every now and then his dermatologist prescribes an ointment (it might even be a chemo cream) that he needs to apply to his face and arms for severe pre-cancerous sun damage. When he got it filled today, It cost more than the last time, so he mentioned it to the pharmacy tech. She looked something up and immediately knocked quite a bit off the price.
I used to use Restasis for chronic dry eyes. The price was reasonable when I was working and on my employer’s insurance plan. The first time I got it refilled after I retired, and under my Medicare Part D, it was $714 for a 30-day supply! And that was after the insurance discount. Needless to say, I didn’t get it refilled.
Thank you for sharing this info. This always makes me feel so sad that people have to play this game to get a reasonable price for medicine. I always think of the elderly that are trying to navigate this system.
I’m so thankful you posted this. Prescriptions can be so expensive. I’m fortunate that in my retirement I am able to have lower-cost prescriptions. You are really doing a service for your followers.
I’m hoping it is okay with you, I am going to copy and paste (and attribute to you) what you wrote. You said it so well.
Bonnie Lippincott
Totally fine to share!!
This is one of the most helpful posts I’ve ever read. Thank you for taking the time to share this information with us. It is very much appreciated. Medical expenses in this country are crippling.