Prescription medication is an expense that many families cannot
afford. If you do not have an insurance plan that will cover
your prescriptions and are a low-income family, then you are not
alone. Fortunately there are programs available to assist you
with your medications, but finding them can be a struggle.
For many years we went without coverage for our prescriptions
and it was a very difficult time for our family financially.
Making our six hundred dollar a month health insurance payment
was enough to sink us and, to add insult to injury, our
prescriptions were not included in this unreal price tag. Not
having prescription coverage was not an issue for my husband
because he was healthy and rarely needed any medication, but
that was not the case for myself and my son. The first year of
my son’s life was filled with illness after illness and, being
his mother, I got just about everything my son had along with
him. Keeping the two of us healthy and all of the prescriptions
that I took on a daily basis added up to a huge chunk of change
that our family just did not have. At times we went without
medications or we were at the complete mercy of our doctor and
his samples stash.
During this time, I started doing some research on more
affordable ways that we could purchase our prescriptions without
completely breaking the bank. Through my research I discovered a
few options that would help us afford our medicines while still
being able to make our other monthly expenses.
Communicate With Your Doctor
If you are without prescription coverage, it is important to
have a good relationship with your doctor. Your doctor can truly
be your greatest alley and can help you in a variety of ways.
If your doctor starts you on a new prescription drug, there are
a series of questions you can ask to make sure you get the best
deal.
Begin by asking your doctor if he has any free samples you can
have to try the medication. Explain your insurance situation and
see if your doctor will offer you the medication for free. If
your doctor does not have any samples for you to take home, ask
him if if he could call the drug representative from that
company to send some samples to you. These drug representatives
stop in regularly to restock their supply and are happy to get
more clients under their belt. This can be a win-win situation
for all the parties involved.
If samples are unavailable, ask your doctor if you can have a
“trial prescription” so you can buy fewer of the tablets at
first. This can be a good way to find out if a medication will
work for you and also to see if you can tolerate any nasty side
effects. If the drug does not work for you, you will not have
invested in a month’s supply that you will be unable to use.
There are also specific questions that you can ask about the
medications you are taking. For example, ask your doctor if
there is a generic equivalent to the medication you are taking
because you are exploring less expensive alternatives. If there
are no generic equivalents to this medication, you can also ask
about over-the-counter (OTC) medications. Sometimes there are
OTC medications you can take that will achieve the same results
as the actual prescription drug.
Another question you can ask is if you could buy a double dosage
of the medication, in pill form, and split the tablets in half
for your regular dosage. There are many prescriptions you can
purchase that can easily be halved. This can result in a fifty
percent savings on your medication.
Your doctor may also know about specific aid from the drug
manufacturer. Many prescription companies have programs to give
medications to patients who have no way to pay for their
prescription drugs. Programs vary from manufacturer to
manufacturer, but all require your doctor to submit the
application for you. Explore this route with your doctor and see
what the company requirements are and if this type of aid is
available to you & your family.
Finally, check in yearly with your doctor to see if cheaper
versions of your medications have become available. Many of us
review our bills and insurance policies yearly, so add this to
your agenda and you may reap the rewards of a few dollars saved.
Buy Online [
Click here to Search the Web for Prescription Websites
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Online stores can offer a lot of savings for their customers,
particularly Canadian pharmacies where drug prices are much
cheaper (savings of up to half on many prescriptions). Whether
you buy American or not, you must make sure that you research
the company well to ensure that the company is not a fake.
Examples of things to look for are a toll free number, real
operators who answer their phone, a physical company address,
and a secure website to do your shopping. You will also want to
make sure the pharmacy is approved by the organization that
governs the state/country where the pharmacy is located.
State Assistance Make sure to investigate what your state offers in assisting
with the cost of your prescription drugs. These programs are
typically available to the elderly, disabled, and low-income
families. You can obtain information about these programs
through your state’s website or by calling the office of your
state senator or representative.
Additional Resources: These are a few sites that you can check for additional
information, for free, on medical assistance programs:
Needy Meds (http://www.needymeds.com)
is designed to provide information about patient assistance
programs which provide no cost prescription medications to
eligible participants.
Rx Outreach (http://www.rxassist.org)
is a new Patient Assistance Program developed by Express Scripts
Specialty Distribution Services, Inc. (ESSDS). The program
provides qualified low-income individuals and families with
access to generic versions of brand name medications.
Helping Patients (http://www.helpingpatients.org)
brings together America’s pharmaceutical companies, doctors,
patient advocacy organizations and civic groups to help
low-income, uninsured patients get free or nearly free
brand-name medicines. Its mission is to increase awareness of
and enrollment in existing patient assistance programs for those
who may be eligible. Through this site, Helping Patients offers
a single point of access to more than 275 public and private
patient assistance programs, including more than 150 programs
offered by pharmaceutical companies
Partnership for Prescription Assistance (http://www.pparx.org)
brings together America’s pharmaceutical companies, doctors,
other health care providers, patient advocacy organizations and
community groups to help qualifying patients who lack
prescription coverage get the medicines they need through the
public or private program that’s right for them. Many will get
them free or nearly free. Its mission is to increase awareness
of patient assistance programs and boost enrollment of those who
are eligible.
Together Rx Access (http://www.togetherrxaccess.com)
is a card that has been created to help qualified individuals
and families without prescription drug coverage to save on
brand-name prescription drugs and other prescription products,
as well as save on a wide range of generic drugs. This card is
available to those who are ineligible for Medicare, have no
prescription drug coverage (public or private), and families who
meet certain income requirements. This program is only available
to legal US residents.
The sites above are your best bet for finding this information,
but do not be afraid to ask your doctor, the drug company, or
your pharmacy about assistance programs. You will find there are
great savings in simply asking and exploring for cheaper
alternatives.
