Health care stewardship: Resources are available to help you find reasonably priced medications

With the cost of prescription drugs rising three times faster than general cost-of-living increases since 1985, it’s more important than ever to find reasonably priced prescriptions.

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration says that over 20,000 prescription drugs are approved for marketing. As a Samaritan Ministries member, the first 120-day supply of a prescription related to a qualifying medical condition is shared with the community (Guidelines VIII.B.25). However, some prescription costs may extend beyond the 120 days or are not eligible and are an additional expense to your budget.

Let’s look at some ways that will save you money and relieve that burden.

One available resource that many members have benefited from is GoodRx®. Another resource is New Benefits, accessible to Samaritan members through the Dashboard. Members can use New Benefits to compare prescription prices using the Rx pricing tool on the mobile app or web portal through the Dashboard.

Other ways you can save money on prescriptions include the following:

• With a new medication, ask your physician if they have free samples. Pharmaceutical companies promote their medication to providers to address medical conditions, and they want providers to prescribe it. So they often give the medical office samples of the medication to share with their patients. This is a good way to try a new medication without filling an entire bottle when it might end up not being the right fit for you.
• Ask for a generic version of a medication instead of the brand name drug. Generic medications are very common and save money. Keep in mind that even if a prescription is available as a brand name only, as their patent expires, a generic brand would be available at a much lower cost. For instance, Walmart starts all its generic prescriptions at $4 each.
• Fill your prescriptions at a grocery store or warehouse-type store since at some of those stores you do not need to be a paying member to receive discounted prescription pricing. The store invites you in to fill the medication in hopes, proven or otherwise, that you will also buy some things for the home—dinner for tonight or that loaf of bread that’s running out. Their pricing is lower, assuming you will spend more in the store on products.
• Ask for patient-assistance programs. If a medication is within its patent period, usually 20 years, then there may not be a generic brand available. The manufacturing company, though, often has patient assistance programs to help with the cost of the medication, sometimes reducing the cost to zero dollars.

There are numerous opportunities for Samaritan Ministries members to source affordable prescription drugs at reasonable prices. A little bit of additional research can lead to significant savings.

The information provided in this article is for educational purposes and is not meant as medical advice. The information is not meant to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health professional.