Sacramento Head Start Alumni Association

Saving Money on Prescription Drugs

Oct 12, 2004

Saving Money on Prescription Drugs

Marshel D. Davis
University of Arkansas
Janea Hightower
Brooke Kilburn
Virginia Martin
Roya Nezhadpour
Leah Williams

Special from Bottom Line/Personal


49-year-old woman suffering from arthritis cut her medication bills from about $400 a month to $250... an 80-year-old man with high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease reduced his monthly drug expenses from $250 to $63... and a 72-year-old woman with a breathing problem lowered her bills from $400 a month to $40.

Anyone can save as much as 30% on prescription drugs -- more if he/she is over age 65 -- just by following the lessons learned by my students. Their cost-cutting discoveries -- a class project -- led to the creation of the hugely successful Prescription Assistance Line for Seniors (PALS) hot line. It helps hundreds of Arkansas residents each month.

Here is their money-saving advice gleaned during months of interviews with doctors, hospital officials, health-care workers, drug companies and patients...

BUY IN BULK

Buying prescription drugs in bulk makes sense for people who take medications for chronic or long-term conditions. Doctors almost always are willing to write prescriptions for larger quantities unless they believe a patient might misuse a drug. Virtually all pharmacies, including neighborhood drugstores, sell medication in whatever quantity a physician prescribes.

Example: Many Walgreen's drugstores charge $10.99 for a one-month supply (30 100-milligram tablets) of Atenolol, often prescribed for high blood pressure. A one-year supply (360 tablets) of the same strength costs $54.49. Savings: $77.39.

The savings is even more dramatic for people who take expensive drugs.

Example: Not long ago, PALS was contacted by a middle-aged man who took two Vioxx tablets a day for chronic pain. He had been paying $242 for 100 tablets. PALS advised him to buy 300 at a time for $369. Savings: $869/year.

GENERIC DRUGS

Doctors often continue to prescribe brand-name drugs long after generics have appeared on the market. Nevertheless, if asked, most physicians will prescribe generics. Patients can save 10% to 20% over brand-name drugs. In many cases, savings are even more substantial.

Example: One hundred 150-mg tablets of the ulcer drug Zantac cost about $195, versus $15 for the same amount of ranitidine, the generic equivalent.

Even if your doctor doesn't prescribe generics, ask your pharmacist. Most states permit him/her to substitute the generic version of a brand-name drug.

To find out if there's a generic equivalent of a drug, call your doctor or pharmacist or search the Federal Drug Administration's Orange Book on-line at www.fda.gov/cder/ob/default.htm.

If your prescription is available only as a brand name, ask your doctor if he/she can prescribe a similar, less expensive drug instead.

FREE SAMPLES

Most physicians receive a constant supply of samples -- especially of new drugs -- from pharmaceutical companies.

If your doctor doesn't have free samples of your medication, he might be able to get some by asking the manufacturer. Ask your doctor.

Example: One man who contacted PALS was able to save more than $350 last year because he asked his doctor for samples of the arthritis drug Vioxx. Patients may be able to get six months' worth of free samples in one visit.

DRUG DISCOUNT CARDS

Many pharmaceutical companies offer free cards that entitle low-income seniors and other Medicare beneficiaries to substantial discounts on up to 200 drugs purchased at pharmacies.

The companies may require copies of IRS forms and/or bank statements as proof of income. Some require use of specific pharmacies. Major drug discount cards...

Together Rx -- a program sponsored by Abbott Labs, AstraZeneca, Aventis, Bristol-Myers Squibb, GlaxoSmithKline, Ortho-McNeil and Novartis. Savings: 20% to 40% on 155 brand-name prescription drugs. Income ceiling: $28,000 singles/$38,000 couples.* 800-865-7211, www.together-rx.com.

GlaxoSmithKline Orange. Savings: 30%. Income ceiling: $30,000 singles/ $40,000 couples. 888-672-6436, http://us.gsk.com/card/.

Free cards without income ceilings: AdvancePCS RxSavings Plus, 877-673-3688, www.advancerx.com, savings of 20%... US Pharmaceutical Group's Nations-Health Discount Prescription Plan, 800-977-9655, www.uspgi.com, savings of more than 20%.

PRESCRIPTION ASSISTANCE

Several drug companies provide cards that guarantee free drugs to low-income consumers in exchange for a co-payment of $12 to $15 per prescription. Most allow a 30-day supply. Choose cards from companies that manufacture the drugs you take. Annual income ceilings typically are $20,000 for a single person, $24,000 for a couple. Most programs are available only to Medicare patients or people with disabilities. Major prescription assistance programs include...

Bristol-Myers Squibb Patient Assistance, 800-736-0003.

LillyAnswers, from Eli Lilly & Co., 877-795-4559, www.lillyanswers.com.

Novartis Care Card Select, 866-974-2273, www.novartiscareplan.com.

Pfizer for Living Share Card, 800-506-3763, www.pfizerforliving.com. (This plan ends August 31, 2004. Check website for information about the U Share Prescription Drug Discount card.)

Information on patient assistance programs (PAPs) is available from The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, 202-835-3410, www.helpingpatients.org.

PILL SPLITTING

You may be able to cut drug prices in half simply by splitting pills. A 100-mg tablet often costs the same as a 50-mg tablet of the same medication.

Ask your doctor or pharmacist if large dosages are cheaper per milligram. Make sure your pill is safe to split -- not all are.

To ensure that you get the right dosage, use a mechanical pill-splitting device, sold at pharmacies for about $15.

*Income limits for discount drug cards are higher in Alaska and Hawaii