Prescription Medications, Do You Shop Around?

[golfgal]

Nope- copayment is the same no matter where you go-

Same here so I don't shop around.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

No. I have a prescription plan to begin with that says what my copay is. Unless for some odd reason the drug I am getting costs less than the copay, or isn't on plan, the price should be the same.

 

[tlbwriter]

I stick with my locally-owned "mom and pop" pharmacy unless I get a one-time prescription on the weekend (like if someone gets an ear infection or strep throat).

 

[midas]

No, I pay 20%, insurance pays 80%. Mail order is a straight $80 for name brand drugs for a 3 month supply and they charge me a $100 deductable per year. I wish I did only have a $10 copay!

Do you have to pay 100% upfront and submit your receipts or does the pharmacy transmit the prescription electronically and you pay them the 20% as a copay? If the pharmacy transmits it, the price should be the same pretty much everywhere.

As far as mail order, the total price of the prescription has to be at least 400.00 for your 20% to be 80.00.

 

[NEVERENOUGHWDW]

No, luckily Synthroid is a very cheap drug. My Lipitor is not to bad.

When I was trying to get pregnant we did mail order the drugs, insurance didn't cover anything. After a huge loss this past year I did take antidepressants for 3-4 months so we just took the generic and stayed at Walgreens with our co-pay.

 

[nowellsl]

Do you have to pay 100% upfront and submit your receipts or does the pharmacy transmit the prescription electronically and you pay them the 20% as a copay? If the pharmacy transmits it, the price should be the same pretty much everywhere.

As far as mail order, the total price of the prescription has to be at least 400.00 for your 20% to be 80.00.

Pharmacy transmits it electronically. The $100 deductable is because it's a brand name - it's waved for generics. The percentages are based on the retail price of the drug and that is what differs. It's usually not that much of a difference - most of the time only a few dollars.

Mail order is different, it's a tiered system and price is determined by what tier the drug is on. Mine happens to be on the top tier which is a flat $80 for a three month supply. Tier two drugs are $50 and tier 1 drugs are about $25 I think. It is a very expensive drug and there is no generic version with the same composition. So far it's the only one I can tolerate without side effects, so I'm kindof stuck with it. If I buy the same drug at a local pharmacy it runs around $130 for 3 months. So I save $50 by mail.

Fortunately, my employer came out with an option to change my insurance to a high deductable plan ($1500) that comes with an employer funded HRA. So far all my out of pocket expenses including prescriptions have been reimbursed by that account. And the best part is that if I don't use all the funds it rolls over from year to year.