Healthcare reform is on the top of the government’s agenda, but it’ll be quite a while if and when we see any changes. In the meantime, healthcare costs are rising faster than inflation and Americans’ wallets are taking a hit at the doctor’s office and especially at the pharmacy. The drugs your doctor prescribed help you get well, but their costs make your wallet sick. So how can you and your wallet get some relief?
You don’t have to be at the mercy of high drug costs. Here are some tips to keep costs in check.
1. Change your thinking – Get that old notion of “the higher the price the better it must be” out of your head. Brand name drugs with flashy ads and packaging don’t heal you any better than some cheap generic alternatives. While you might be able to tell the difference between a real Prada bag and a cheap knock off. That is NOT the case with drugs. Your body can’t tell the difference.
2. Tell your doctor – When you are discussing treatment options with your doctor, make sure to tell her you prefer generics or other less expensive options if they will give the same result. Doctors don’t know the details of your insurance plan or out of pocket costs. You have to tell them. And tell them every time. Don’t assume they remember your preferences from your last visit. They need to be reminded.
3. Don’t fall for the free sample trick – Many patients believe they are saving money when their physician offers them free samples. Most of the time, it is costing you more. The majority of free samples are for brand name drugs that you would continuously use on a regular basis. The drug companies hope to get you “hooked” onto their more expensive drug. So make sure you really understand the costs of the free drug before you accept.
4. Talk with your pharmacist – Most people don’t realize pharmacists know more about drugs than physicians. Pharmacists know when new generics come out or when brand name prices are lowered. They can also recommend alternatives your doctor may not be aware of or forgotten. Doctors tend to prescribe what they are comfortable with and have relied on for years. Also, pharmacists have access to your insurance costs, so they are in a much better position to give you cheaper options than physicians.
5. Take advantage of store competition – Drug stores, grocery stores and mass merchandise retailers like Wal-Mart, Target and Costco are all competing against each other for your pharmacy business. They offer special prescription drug discount programs as low as $4 for a month’s supply of popular generic drugs. Publix actually offers FREE antibiotics. If you need more than one month’s worth, Costco has a great discount program if you are buying in bulk. And under federal law, you can shop at the Costco pharmacy without being a member. Here is a resource for the drug discount programs available.
6. Shop by mail or internet – If you must use a brand name drug for an extended period of time, your best bet for a good price is by mail order or internet. First look to see if your insurer offers a mail order program. Your insurance company generally has the best negotiated prices with them. Also check out drugstore.com and Costco.com. While they obviously can’t show you any insurance discounts, they clearly display their drug prices online for easy comparison shopping. Just be wary of other online websites. There are many online pharmacy scams.
7. Change your health – We started out talking about changing your attitude to save money on your prescriptions. But the real way to save is to change your health and eliminate your prescriptions altogether. Many chronic conditions people control with drugs can be dramatically improved with better health. Losing weight, eating healthier and exercising can help many ailments such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes. The Surgeon General actually now has a great website to help you get healthier, http://www.healthierus.gov It has many resources and guides that are very user friendly.
