Keeping ourselves healthy is one of our ultimate goals, true to the saying, “health is wealth.” However, we also know that prescription medicines are expensive, even for those who have theirs covered by the insurance policy. Fortunately, there are ways to minimize your expenses in purchasing prescription medicine.
These are typical yet effective ways to save some money that you can put in for good use. Let’s see what they are and hopefully apply them in our future purchase.
Ask For a Generic Alternative
Many would think that generic medicines are less effective than their branded alternative. However, it isn’t true. By law, generic medicines should have the same active ingredients in the same quantity as the branded drugs. With this, consumers are ensured that the generic alternatives for their prescription are as effective as the branded ones they are initially prescribed with.
If you’d like to avail a discounted prescription medication through the generic alternatives, talk to your physician and ask if it is available. You can also double-check with your pharmacist. Unfortunately, not all medications have a generic counterpart, but it doesn’t hurt to ask.
Buy in Bulk
This has been a practice for many consumers, especially for long-time patients that are on constant medication. But do you know the real benefit of buying in bulk?
Let’s put it this way, if your prescription and finances allow you to purchase a 90-day supply (that’s three months supply at one purchase), you can save more compared to buying a 30-day supply. The rule of thumb in a bulk purchase is that you’re paying less per pill, and that small change means a lot to your savings.
However, always check if buying a higher quantity of your medication is a wise move in the long run. In some cases, an excessive purchase can be a waste. This only works for individuals that are dependent on taking their medication and shouldn’t skip one.
Pro-tip: Practice using mail order service. You can avail of a mail order service through your company insurance. It’s more cost-effective than personally filling up the prescription at your local pharmacy, especially for medications you take routinely. Yet, take note of the processing and delivery as it may take some time. Estimate ordering ahead of time before you run out of your medication to avoid skipping.
Ask Your Local Pharmacist For An Alternative
This is a significant thing to do, especially if you’re going full-thrifty when it comes to spending a lot on your prescription medication. Your local pharmacist can be a great help with this endeavor since they are the ones who personally know every medicine and its prices.
Your doctor can always prescribe you your maintenance medication. However, they are not that acquainted with the prices. Unfortunately, as everyone knows, drug prices change rapidly. The best person to talk to is your local pharmacist. Present your prescription and ask if there is a lower-cost option for it. Don’t be afraid to ask as they are the ones you can highly rely on these things.
Study Your Insurance Policy
When applying for medical insurance, the first thing you have in mind is to save on some health-related expenses. To confirm your thinking, of course that’s true! Although, there still are some terms you have to be aware of. The role of health plans is to help you pay the cost of specific prescription medication. You can always buy other medications, but you can only enjoy the discounted purchases included in your health plan coverage.
Understanding and studying your insurance policy is critical. It would be best to read all the inclusion stipulated in your policy as this may bring you confusion and trouble in the future. A perfect example is getting your prescribed medication in a particular pharmacy. You present your insurance card. However, the pharmacist doesn’t accept it.
This means your health plan doesn’t work in that specific pharmacy. This happens as different health plans work with different pharmacies, also called “preferred pharmacy network.” Call and ask your insurance provider which pharmacies you can use for your healthcare plan. Sometimes, it’s available on their website.
Use Discount Coupons
You might find it funny and weird that some old couples bring their discount coupons to purchase their prescription medication. But for us, it’s not. Discount coupons are a saving grace for people who have financial problems yet still need to buy their routine medication.
There are many discount coupons all over the internet and even available in-house in many local pharmacies. Big pharmaceuticals raise the discount coupon campaigns as this helps them increase customer loyalty and awareness. Also, it helps them increase sales. It’s thrifty, wise, and most importantly, useful in saving some money, and both parties benefit from it.
Takeaway
Staying healthy is what we all dream of, and taking medications can help us with that. However, it’s known that prescription medication doesn’t always come cheap. Thankfully, there are ways that any of us can save some money and be thrifty with it. These practical tips can be a great help when you purchase in the future. Use them to your advantage and keep yourself and your family healthy by providing the right medicine in a cost-effective option.
Recent Comments