November 22, 2009

When buying prescriptions without insurance, it pays to shop around

by Cara Restelli, KY3 News

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Story Published: Nov 2, 2009 at 8:46 PM CST

Story Updated: Nov 4, 2009 at 9:53 AM CST

SPRINGFIELD -- With people continuing to lose their jobs and insurance coverage, more of them are being forced to pay for prescriptions out of their own pocket. We found it pays to shop around.

“The prices charged by drug companies are exorbitant,” said Grove Pharmacy owner Gary Grove.

We took nine popular prescriptions and shopped them around at six area pharmacies to find the best ways to save you money.

Whenever possible, we used the generic price.

We averaged the monthly cost of those medications and found: Grove Pharmacy had the lowest average at just over $104 per month. Next came Cox's Convenient Care Pharmacy at just over $107, followed by St. John's at $112. Walmart's average was just under $118 Family Pharmacy's average was just over $118 . Finally, Walgreens' average was just under $126.

“We're giving best value to patient for their time,” said Grove.

We found, even more valuable than our list, are ways to cut your prescription costs, no matter where you shop. First, find out if the pharmacy has a savings program. Walgreens has a savings card costing $20 a year that can save you a considerable amount. In fact, with the savings card, Walgreens' average for the medications we checked was just under $106, $19 a month cheaper than without the card.

Gamily Pharmacy is debuting a new savings card next month. For a one-time fee of $10, you could save $16 a month on our list of drugs.

“We think it will be best pricing discount in southwest Missouri,” said Family Pharmacy owner Lynn Morris.

He's right. With the savings card, Family Pharmacy's average was just over $102 a month, making it the cheapest of all the pharmacies we checked.

And there are other ways to save.

“If you take larger strength and cut it in half, you're saving people money,” said Grove.

For example, if you only need 10 milligrams a day, you can save money by cutting the 20 milligram tablets in half.

Another tip: if a generic isn't available in the drug your doctor prescribed, ask for a comparable drug that does have a generic.

“Almost every time doctors will agree to do that and it saves people money,” said Morris.

Finally, consider a pharmacy that compounds medications. If your doctor prescribes a drug that's slightly different from what's available on the market, certain pharmacies can compound it and save you money.

Both Gary and Lynn agree that your pharmacist should help you by suggesting some of these cost savings ideas. If he or shed doesn't seem willing to help, it's time to switch.

“Whatever pharmacy you choose, it should be like a church or your doctor. You need to go someplace that's going to take care of you and you can trust,” said Morris.

A word of caution: Our tips don't apply to all prescriptions, so be sure to talk to your doctor or pharmacist before making any changes. Also, don't use multiple pharmacies because drug interaction can be a big concern. Also, avoid buying prescriptions from Canadian pharmacies, which can be counterfeit.

For a look at our complete findings, click here.

To read comments from other pharmacies we checked, click here.

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