Tjc141

Like many of you, I am new to the CDHP plan. I am starting a thread to pass along my recent lesson learned the hard way concerning prescriptions. I'm hoping that others can pass along tips they learn to help save others money and hassle.

My wife recently brought our 10 yr old in to urgent care and he was diagnosed with strep throat. Just like our many similiar visits under the buy-up plan in years past, we had the Dr. send the RX to our local Walgreens. My wife went to pick it up, showed our new insurance plan and was charged $220 (the anthem discounted rate) for a generic amoxicillin prescription. In years past, we would pay $7.50 for the same thing. With a sick kid in the car, she decided to pay the $220 and check with Anthem later about the huge price tag. A call to Anthem confirmed the price and offered no solution on how to save money on simple prescriptions like this. I've done some investigating myself and would like to pass this article from consumer reports on for people to consider when they are filling a prescription.

Tips for Finding the Best Prescription Drug Prices - Consumer Reports

Every situation is different, but here are my top take-aways from the article and how we will handle similar situations in the future.

1. Have a paper copy of the RX and make a few calls to find the best price before having it filled. Chain drugstores are generally the worst choice, but call around.
2. Always ask for the cash price ( do not indicate you have an insurance plan because the price goes way up). If my research is correct, our RX would have cost $10 at Wal-Mart
3. Always ask if this is the best price available for this RX. It is a tangled web of pricing and they know the best price, but may not offer it unless asked.

Good luck out there and please let me know what else you learn.

busdriver12

Your post reminds me why I never want to have a CDHP. I have enough hassle in my life as it is, I don't want to have to screw around with the little stuff, especially when someone is sick. We use plenty of medical care, so all the extra hassle....just isn't worth it. Sorry you had to learn all this stuff the hard way, and thank you for passing it on.

MaydayMark

My wife has a prescription that previously cost $65 (for a 90 day supply), it now costs $300 (for the same 90 days).

My read on this is that Management & ALPA both "thought" they were doing us a favor trying to avoid a substantial "ObamaCare Cadillac Tax."

Of course it now looks like the ACA will be "Repealed and Replaced" but we're stuck with what we have for this year.

Albief15

So..what's the fix Mark? Those *&%& morons at the ALPA and Mgt should have done...what? Ignore the tax and press on?

Regardless of who you voted for you, or whether you were pro or anti this TA...healthcare has so damn many moving parts these days I'm not sure what could have been done better.

A fundamental shift in healthcare in this country just happened, and it appears another may be pending. We are all just going to be in a reactionary mode for a while.

Greyhairdwonder

Which plan do you have? Buy-up, HSA, or HRA (purple or orange)?

KnightFlyer

I'm still on Buy Up. On Express Scripts you can Price a Medication and compare up to 3 pharmacies with Home Delivery. For my family, some are $0 for home delivery and 2 other are $10.70 and $20 (all for 90 day supplies).

Tjc141

I'm in the Purple plan with an HSA.

dckozak

I am currently on a course of Amoxicillin/Clavulante 875/125MG. I have the receipt but the drug (one of four I was prescribed) is not clear which is which on the receipt. The product is coded, based on the numbers I have, my Amoxicillin was, at most, $23.13, and it may have been less.

I think you need to have a talk with the issuing pharmacy. If this was a generic drug you way over payed.

Jetjok

I was at my doctors office this past Monday to have my quarterly blood work done. I mentioned that I'd like him to write me a script for Ambien, a sleeping medication. He said "sure", but that my insurance (Medicare and Tricare For Life) wouldn't cover any of the cost. Then he said to download the App "Blink Health, and use it to buy the drug at a healthy discount.

I downloaded Blink and entered my name, phone number, credit card number, and maybe one other piece of info, which I don't remember now. You then look up the med you're interested in buying. In my case Ambien. The App tells you that your cost is $6.58, while they show that the average retail price is $52.62. If that works for you, you enter your credit card number, and within 30 seconds, you get a screen with some information, which is listed under "Pharmacy" on the App.

You then go to your pharmacy, or any major chain, like CVS, Walgreen, etc, and give them your original prescription to be filled. When you're ready to pick up the prescription, you show them your cell phone with that screen showing. They enter the information from your screen, into their computer, and they give you your drugs. You pay them NOTHING.

Obviously, all the drugs are normal drugs that you'd get at that pharmacy, not some fly-by-night med that came from who-knows-where. Not all drugs are covered, so if you search for a drug that they don't "sell", you'll get a no-hit, and some drugs have little or no discount, but for the ones that do, it may be even cheaper than paying a drug co-pay. Take a look at it. It rocks.

P.S. as an example, using Blink, 20 tablets of 875 mg of Amoxicillin sells for $11.41, and shows that the average retail price is $23.68 (52% off.)

JJ

iarapilot

Have strep throat and just bought 7 days worth of 500mg amoxicillin in Thailand for 3 dollars. No insurance. The industry is a total rip off/scam!