Find the Best Rx Price

At some point, we’ll all need to fill a prescription. If you have insurance, it certainly helps to reduce costs, but shopping around is also effective in saving money. I visited several local pharmacies to determine what each store offers its customers.

(Please note: This short poll includes only major retail chains, but if you know an independent pharmacy that offers a great deal, please write in to let me know.)

**The following programs can assist people who either have insurance or are uninsured.

Here’s the tip of the day:

When buying prescription drugs, it’s always best to shop around. Many retail stores offer discounts on a selected list of generic drugs, but if one store doesn’t offer your prescription, perhaps another store does.

The discount on generic drugs is based on a particular quantity and dosage, so you must consider this when trying to find discount prices.

LaToya Sims, a pharmacist at Kmart, offers some helpful advice:

1) Bring the list of generic medications each store offers to your doctor’s appointment. This can help your doctor to prescribe medications that are offered for the generic drug discount programs.

2) For seniors who have Medicare Part D, many are faced with the problem of falling into the “gap or donut hole,” Ms. Sims said. This means they have reached their initial coverage limit and must pay 80 percent of the full prescription price for all of their medications, which can be expensive.

Many seniors can avoid this by taking advantage of the generic drug discount programs. If their medication is covered by the generic drug discount, they should use the in-store discount instead of their insurance. Then, seniors can use their insurance to cover the rest of the prescriptions which are not covered by these programs. As a result, they will not exceed their coverage limit, Ms. Sims advised.

3) Always ask. It’s important to ask your pharmacist if the store offers any discount for prescriptions, Ms. Sims said. Kmart, for instance, matches prices, but you might not know that unless you ask questions.

This is what I found at our local pharmacies. (Please visit each store’s Web site or the in-store pharmacy for further information.)

Kroger:

Kroger offers a $4 generic prescription program for a 30-day supply. A 90-day supply costs $10. This program applies to more than 325 generic prescriptions. Visit www.kroger.com/generic for a complete list of included medications.

Publix:

Here’s an excellent deal – it’s free!

Publix offers free oral antibiotics for eight designated medications. Simply bring your prescription and receive the medication free, up to a 14-day supply.

The free oral antibiotics include: Amoxicillin, Cephalexin, Sulfamethoxazole/ Trimethoprim (SMZ-TMP), Ciprofloxacin (excluding ciprofloxacin XR), Penicillin VK, Ampicillin, Erythromycin Stearate and Ethylsuccinate, and Doxycycline Hyclate (capsules only).

Walgreens:

Walgreens offers the Walgreens Prescription Savings Club. The membership fee is $20 per year for an individual and $35 for a family. The program also involves an in-store incentive program. Pharmacy manager Obinna Odi describes how it works:

The customer receives a 90-day supply for $12 on more than 400 generic medications. They can receive a 30-day supply of these medications for $9.99.

The Walgreens Prescription Savings Club also offers savings on more than 5,000 other brand name and generic medications.

**Medicare members are not eligible for the prescription benefits program, according to information provided by Walgreens.

Customers can also receive a 10 percent reward on the purchase of Walgreens brand products. This includes items from toothpaste to over-the-counter cold medicine. For every Walgreens brand product you purchase, 10 percent of the pre-tax price is added onto your card.

For more information, call 1-866-WCARD-12 (1-866-922-7312) or visit www.walgreens.com/wcard.

Rite Aid:

Rite Aid recently launched its free prescription savings card. Customers can receive a 30-day supply of select generic medications for $8.99. They can also get a 90-day supply for $15.99.

The program also offers 20 percent savings on other brand name and generic prescription medications.

Customers can also save 10 percent on Rite Aid Brand products every day.

Seniors ages 60 and older can enroll in Rite Aid’s Living More program for free. The program offers:

-10 percent off purchases every Tuesday
-10 percent off Rite Aid brand products daily
-10 percent off cash prescriptions daily (Please note: The prescription savings are not valid on prescriptions covered by insurance, discount cards, Medicaid, Medicare, PACE, PAAD, EPIC or other government funded programs.)

Wal-Mart:

Wal-Mart offers a $4 prescription program for a 30-day supply of eligible generic prescription drugs. A 90-day supply of selected generic prescriptions costs $10. The savings apply to particular quantities and dosages.

The store also introduces a new $4 over-the-counter program on its store brand medications. A customer’s participation in certain drug and health plans may entitle them to pay less than $4 for particular over-the-counter drugs, according to information provided by Wal-Mart.

Visit Walmart.com for more information. **Wal-Mart pharmacists want to remind customers that they can sign up for Medicare Part D in November.

CVS:

CVS offers the Health Savings Pass program for people ages 50 and older. For a one-time $5 fee, customers can receive 5 to 50 percent discount off generic and brand name prescriptions.

The program also offers dental, health and vision savings for an additional monthly fee. For more information, visit www.cvshealthpass.com.

The store also honors a 20 percent discount on prescriptions for AAA members, according to CVS Customer Service.

Target:

Target offers a $4 prescription program for a 30-day supply of about 300 selected generic medications. Customers can receive a 90-day supply for $10.

For more information, visit www.target.com.

Kmart:

The Kmart pharmacy matches prices with other retail stores, said pharmacist LaToya Sims.

Kmart offers prescription drugs for $5, $10 and $20, but the store will also match the $4 generic prescription drug programs at other stores, if customers ask for the savings.

The store also offers two free prescription savings programs:

GoldK – The GoldK program is designed for people 50 and over. Members of the program will save up to 10 percent on all brand name prescription drugs and up to 20 percent on generic prescription drugs. They can also save up to 5 percent on diabetic prescription items.

**GoldK members will not receive discounts on the co-pay amount for prescription drug purchases. However, prescription drugs not covered by an insurance plan are eligible for a discount.

The GoldK program cannot be combined with benefits from other prescription drug programs or used with prescriptions paid in whole or in part by government insurance plans.

PetK – This savings program provides discounts on pet prescriptions. Customers save 5 percent on brand medications and 10 percent on generic medications.

Medco:

I found Medco to be helpful when I didn’t have insurance. The mail-order pharmacy service is one of the largest in the United States. By filling your long-term medications through Medco By Mail, you can receive up to a 90-day supply of your medication —often at a lower cost than at a retail pharmacy.

For more information, visit www.medcohealth.com.