Saving Costs on Medication - 5 Super Easy Ways to Get a Good Deal on Your Prescription

The Trump administration tried to cut prices on prescription drugs during the last stretch of their term. Based on the policies they wanted to adopt, the administration believed that patients could save 30% on medication if the new bill was passed.

Despite being welcomed with open arms, even by Trump’s Democratic oppositions at the time, there’s no guarantee as to what might happen in the future. Drug companies often put up a tough fight whenever price reduction is proposed. They might even challenge the bill and win. Hence, it’s up to you, the common people, to save costs on your medication, while the government and pharmaceutical companies battle it out. The question is, how can you save money on prescription drugs?

In case you didn’t know about them before, here are 5 super easy ways to save money on medication.

1. Comparing prices across pharmacies

Comparing prices across a variety of stores is part of human nature. Whether you’re buying plane tickets or renting a hotel room, you always tend to get the best features or service at the lowest possible prices. And if you can do that for basically every other commodity you may need, why not do the same in the case of your prescription?

Drug prices can vary from pharmacy to pharmacy. These costs are different due to certain factors, and can even vary between two pharmacies standing just a lane apart from one another. Hence, you should consider checking out multiple pharmacies in your area (or beyond it, in some cases) to see if you can find a deal that suits you.

2. Using coupons

Another great way to reduce RX prices and cut costs on medications is by using coupons. Instead of jumping from pharmacy to pharmacy, you can simply go online and check out the drug prices across all authorized stores from there. On top of that, most of these medication or prescription websites will provide you with RX discount coupons once you sign up with them. By using the coupons, you can get really good discounts from the particular pharmacy you selected. 

3. Looking for a generic version

There are mainly two versions of most drugs - a brand-name version, and a generic one. The two types of drugs are similar in every way, including key ingredients, manufacturing process, as well as effectiveness. However, there are a few differences as well. 

One main difference between the two types is that brand-name drugs are made after years of research and development, which increases the costs for those pharmaceutical companies. Generic drug makers, on the other hand, don’t bother with R&D and can manufacture the same drug by acquiring its manufacturing rights in a legal way.

Thus, generic manufacturers don’t have to bear the costs of research and can charge their customers a much lower price in comparison to the brand-name ones.

4. Asking for alternatives

Using generic drugs is a great way to save money on medication. Sadly, it’s not always a feasible solution, especially when the drugs you’ve been prescribed don’t have any generic versions. In such cases, you should ask your doctor or physician for an alternative to the drugs they originally prescribed (if they’re a bit too expensive for you). If such an alternative is available, they’ll be more than happy to help you out.

However, without consulting your doctor, don’t look for an alternative by yourself. Don’t Google it either. Leave medicare to the professionals.

5. Purchasing in bulk

It’s been observed that if you purchase a 90-day fill on your medication, you can save costs by almost 30%. Purchasing your medication in bulk will help you get a really good deal on your prescription drugs. This is a really good way to save money on medication when you have to use a certain drug for a long period, like drugs for blood pressure or maybe diabetes. Apart from that, bulk refills often bring in discounts too. These discounts will vary from supplier to supplier and is a great way to get a good deal.

The price of prescription drugs is unlikely to drop to a great extent anytime soon. And although lawmakers are trying their best to do so, it’s something that’ll take a while. For the time being, you should consider using the ways discussed above to cut costs on your medication.




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