© 2008-
SavingsNut.com™ – The Best Site On The Internet For Money Saving Tips & Frugal Living Ideas
Also Visit
“A Detailed Guide of Money Saving Advice & Budgeting Know-
“The best resource on the Internet to teach both young and old how to reduce everyday household expenses. Simply the best.” TSN
DRUGS & MEDICAL SERVICES
DRUGS & MEDICAL SERVICES MONEY SAVING TIPS
Prescription & Over-
Doctors, Tests & Other Medical Services
Prescription & Over-
For the average person, the cost of prescription and over-
1. Determine if you are on the right prescription drugs, or if other less expensive drugs are more appropriate. Make sure to talk to both your doctor and pharmacist for advice. Sometimes your pharmacist is more aware of drug side effects, interactions and lower cost substitutes. You may also want to do some of your own research on the many web sites that discuss prescription drugs. WebMD.com is one such site, but there are many others.
a. Make sure you really need to be on all the drugs that have been prescribed. This
is particularly true of so-
b. Ask if you can take the same dosage of a drug in fewer tablets per day. For instance, instead of two 50 mg tablets each day take one 100 mg tablet. This may or may not advisable, depending on the nature of the medication.
c. Ask if a different, less expensive, drug would be just as good for your treatment. There are often a number of drugs a doctor can choose from to treat your condition.
d. Ask if a combination drug, which includes two medicines you are now taking separately,
is available. Combination drugs are often less expensive than buying each drug separately,
and if you have insurance there will be only one co-
e. Ask if there is a generic form of the drug you are taking that will still be effective, but will cost less. Generic drugs are essentially the same drug as the “brand” name drug, but produced by a different manufacturer. Since new generic drugs are coming out all the time, make sure you ask about generics on a regular basis, so you will be able to switch when a generic version of the drug you are taking becomes available.
f. Ask if there is an over-
2. Make sure you buy your prescription drugs at the lowest possible cost. Even
if you have prescription coverage in your medical plan, there are sometimes ways
to reduce your out-
a. Make sure you price compare prescription drugs at several pharmacies, including
discount pharmacies like Walmart and Costco. All pharmacies charge different prices
for the same exact drugs. Call up several pharmacies and get prices for the drugs
you are taking. You may even find some prices that are less than the co-
b. With Walmart leading the way, many pharmacies have reduced the prices of hundreds of prescription drugs significantly. Walmart and Sam’s Club now charge just $4 for a monthly supply of over 200 different prescription drugs. These discounted prices are often better than prices from any other source. Some other major pharmacies have also offered large price reductions on certain drugs. Some pharmacies (like Publix) are even offering a few prescription drugs free of charge. Costco generally offers prescription drug prices below the major drug store chains. And you do not need to be a member of Costco to use their pharmacy. Call up your local Costco store and ask them how.
c. Check to see if the pharmacy offers discounts to seniors or children.
d. See if your pharmacy offers drug discount cards. Pharmacies will also often
offer coupons for transferring prescriptions or bringing them a new prescription.
This is particularly useful if you are filling a one-
e. Even if you do not have prescription coverage in your medical plan, ask the pharmacist if membership in your healthcare plan qualifies you for a health insurance discount. Sometimes they do.
Next Page
