How to Pay for Your Prescription Medications

Even with Health Insurance, some medications are not covered and these can be costly, especially if you have many prescriptions.

I am a kidney transplantee and must take antirejection medications twice a day.

There are 2 significant medications that my health insurance won't cover:

Medication #1 is Tacrolimus - Generic for Prograf - 0.5 capsules. I take 6 capsules a day, 180 capsules a month. Without insurance, this costs anywhere from $86 at my main pharmacy, to $200 at the local WalMart & $290 at Walgreens.

Medicine #2 is Mycophenolic Acid - generic for Myfortic - 180 mg tablets, I take 8 tablets a day, 240 a month. Without insurance, this costs around $127 at my main pharmacy, to $313 at Walgreens & $974 at Walmart.

All the other accommodating medications are covered by insurance and I pay around $12 out of pocket for 6 prescriptions.

Obviously, I can't pay $225 - $525, or even $1,276 a month!

So, how do I save money? There are different ways to do it!

1. GoodRX

I use this app to get medication #2 and I saved over $900! I pay around $65 a month now.

This is a good app to use at major drug chains and stores. Many small independent ones will not use GoodRx because of the paperwork involved and the hassle it takes for reimbursements.

GoodRx is free to use (with an upgrade available) and you can enter your medications, the dosages, and amounts and it will show you the possible savings at local pharmacies.

2. Manufacturer's Discounts

You or your pharmacist can apply to the Medication Companies. I was receiving Medication #1 this way for a while. Many Pharma companies do have patient support options via coupons and copay options. The drawback is that some are one-time only, or limited-time-only offers. So, I was getting my Rx for free for a while.

3. Amazon Pharmacy

You don't need to have a membership to Amazon to take advantage of the Amazon Pharmacy. They offer low prices with or without insurance, automatic refills, and medications are delivered to your home. There are different ways to save with Amazon Pharmacy:

• Amazon Prime: Save up to 80% off prescriptions.
• RxPass: Save up to 68% with RxPass.
• Coupons: Amazon Pharmacy has a large list of coupons you can apply to your Prescription automatically.

I switched Medication #1 which I was paying $86 a month to Amazon Pharmacy and got a free trial of Amazon Prime and saved $31 dollars!

4. Medicaid

If you qualify, you can get your prescriptions (and other medical needs) covered through your state's Medicaid program. Income eligibility is different for each state but can range from $14,580 a year for a single adult to $30,000 a year for a family of four.

5. National, State, or Disease-Specific Drug Assistance Programs

Look up your specific Disease and see if there are national drug programs that will help cover your medicine. Programs such as:

• NeedyMeds
• PhMA's Medicine Assistance Tool
• Patient Advocate Foundation
• Your State's Pharmaceutical Assitance Program

6. Community Health Center

Check your local "Community Health Center" that offer low-income healthcare services. Not only will medical visits be reasonably affordable so will some medications. My husband is diabetic and was paying around $60 for insulin pens at local pharmacies. But now pays $20 through the local Community Health Center.

In recent News, insulin companies Sanofi and Eli Lilly announced that in late 2023 and early 2024 insulin will be about $35 a month. This is great news!

7. Your Doctor or Pharmacist

If you get a prescription that you discover is too expensive to pay for - work with your doctor or pharmacist. They can help you find cheaper alternatives such as generic brands, or different lower-cost drugs that will accomplish the same job.

8. Your Insurance Company

You may be able to work with your insurance company to change your coverage to be able to afford the out-of-pocket payments for your medication.

Work with them to adjust:

• Deductible Amounts
• Co-pay Amounts
• In Network Coverage

Sometimes a recommendation letter from your doctor can help coerce an insurance company to change coverage for a prescription.

9. Get Healthy

I left this one for last because it's the most obvious. But one many of us often deny ourselves time and time again.

Getting healthy can reduce prescription costs by reducing the need for them.

Eating healthier and losing weight can reduce many possible symptoms like high blood pressure, diabetes (type 2), heart disease, cholesterol, and other risk factors.

The healthier you get, the less you need those prescriptions that manage those symptoms. The less you need pay. Simple as that isn't it? Yeah, I know it's hard - it is for me as well.

Final Thoughts

Prescription medication prices cannot be avoided but can be worked around.

Not taking the medication can be life-threatening and can create even more medical bills as the symptom or disease the medication is supposed to be controlling - gets out of control and you're in the hospital.

Stay healthy and just know your medications can be affordable.