Rx Central Coast: Paying for prescriptions
Your prescription costs can drastically vary depending on where you go and what’s covered by your insurance, but there are ways to save.
Dr. James Gilbert, President of the Monterey Bay Independent Physician Association, says, “I was paying about $150 for a ninety day supply of this generic drug.” It’s a regular struggle for many of us, a prescription we’ve got to fill, and a price we just have to swallow.
Dr. Gilbert says, “The range is ridiculous! The fact of the matter is you can, from one pharmacy to another, it can be several multiples of cost for the exact same thing.” That’s why many consumers are turning to some online services to help, sites like GoodRX and Blink Health. “I went to Blink Health and the price was 34 dollars,” says Dr. Gilbert, who also takes advantage of the help.
He says, “I showed up with my coupon that I’d paid 34 dollars for and she said, ‘okay your copay is zero,’ cause I’ve already paid for it. She said it’s a good thing too, because the cash price is $800! Dr. Gilbert also says many people don’t know what they’re paying for. “This has got nothing to do with how much it cost them to make the drug. It’s purely, plain and simple, marketing and what they can get away with charging.”
The top three prescriptions in California according to GoodRX are Ibuprofen, the painkiller, Amoxicillin, an antibiotic, and Atorvastatin, a prescription to help reduce high cholesterol, but you might know that as the drug “Lipitor”. Dr. Gilbert says, “What the drug companies would like you to believe is that there’s some real value to that brand name as opposed to the generic, and in reality there isn’t.” That’s why sites like GoodRX can help you stay informed. You simply type in the medication you’re looking for and scroll down to compare prices at different pharmacies.
Dr. Gilbert says, “When you’ve got an insurance card that gives you a $10 copay on a prescription, you’re not so concerned what your insurance company is paying in the background.” But, he says paying attention to those costs is actually important, cause even if you’re not paying now, we’re all paying as costs go up.
