Some of your prescription medication costs may be covered by your insurance. However, not every medication you require may be included in your medication coverage plan. Also, you may find yourself without insurance coverage at some point. Either situation may leave you struggling to afford essential medications.
The costs of medications not covered by insurance plans are often quite high. It can also be difficult to determine where to get prescription drugs for the best prices because each pharmacy has its own pricing policies. Additionally, prescription medications are kept out of sight in most pharmacies, eliminating the option to compare prices at the store. One way to circumvent those problems is to compare medication costs using prescription savings applications.
Prescription drug apps are typically accessible on iOS and Android cellphones. They can also be accessed from your computer. Each app can provide you with information about the cheapest medications sold in your area by using GPS technology or location data you enter. Some prescription drug apps also provide valuable coupons for medications. Some pharmacies may offer store savings apps or store-specific pharmacy savings cards, but third-party apps often offer the most savings. To learn more about these apps and the ways they can help you when you shop for medications, read the sections below.
GoodRX
GoodRX has been one of the top prescription drug savings apps for several years. It has received multiple accolades, including a recommendation from Consumer Reports in 2013. You can use the GoodRX app or website to perform a comparison shopping search for any prescription medication. The app offers features that include:
- Access to medication pricing information for over 75,000 pharmacies.
- Images of pills for easy identification.
- Side effect information for various medications.
- Tips for saving additional money on prescriptions.
- Lists of pharmacy locations and hours of operation.
- Search functions allowing you to easily locate nearby pharmacies and compare local prices.
- Coupons to help you save money on prescriptions.
The GoodRX app includes information on generic medications and brand-name medicines. You can also use the app to get the latest information about membership program discounts offered by your local pharmacies and discounts offered by manufacturers. The programming within the app will provide you with cost comparisons, factoring all of those variables into the final prices listed. Using the provided information, you can determine the best way to save the largest amount on your prescriptions.
RX Saver (Formerly Lowest Med)
RX Saver was originally the Lowest Med app. It is a prescription discount app offered by the popular savings website RetailMeNot. The RX Saver app is a simplified comparison tool. You can operate it by performing three basic steps:
- Step 1 – Enter the name of the drug you require.
- Step 2 – Review the list of available prescription cost deals provided and select one.
- Step 3 – Have your pharmacist scan the coupon code on your phone to get the selected deal.
The RX Saver app is free to download and use. Like GoodRX, it lists both generic and brand name drug discounts. You can take advantage of those discounts, even if you have medical insurance. Often, the discounts offered may reduce the cost of a medication you require more than your insurance. Therefore, you should always compare prices, rather than assuming your insurance copay is the better discount.
WeRX
WeRX is another prescription savings app recommended by Consumer Reports in 2013. The WeRX app was created to raise awareness about the unregulated costs of prescription medications and the variations between costs in local pharmacies. The WeRX app shares many features in common with the apps above, including:
- Access to prices of local medications.
- Search features allowing you to search for specific medications.
- Lists of local pharmacy locations.
What makes WeRX unique is you can input price information into the app as you purchase medications and then other WeRX users can then view that information. By listing the self-pay costs of your local medications, you will help your neighbors who use the app locate the same deals you find. You will also be able to take advantage of deals other WeRX users have found. The app allows you to input and view comparison information for both online prescription purchases and purchases made in your local pharmacies.
Blink Health
Blink Health is a prescription medication app that offers discount medication prices by negotiating with local pharmacies on behalf of consumers. When you use the app, you will be able to obtain your prescription medications directly through Blink Health at set prices resulting from those negotiations. You will pay Blink instead of paying your local pharmacy.
To use the Blink Health app, you must select the medication you want from the list provided in the app. Then you will be required to submit payment. When you later go to the pharmacy, ask your pharmacist to process your purchase through Blink and show him or her the Blink confirmation on your phone. Advantages of Blink Health include:
- Knowing exactly what a medication costs ahead of time.
- Paying for your medication before going to the pharmacy.
- Streamlining the process of picking up your medication.
- Obtaining a set discount price at your preferred pharmacy, rather than using comparison shopping to find the cheapest local pharmacy.
OneRX
The OneRX app has won multiple awards and has been featured on multiple national news programs. It can help you find medication discounts if you are uninsured. However, it also has a unique feature you will find beneficial if you are insured. You can use the app to take a picture of your insurance card or input information about your insurance manually. After you do so, the program will calculate your copayment for certain medications. The insurance information feature is not found in most other prescription savings apps. By cross-referencing your copay amounts with available discounts and coupons, OneRX can reduce your prescription costs by up to 90 percent.
The OneRX app also features an option to search for specific medical conditions. When doing so, you can learn about conditions you have and the medications most commonly prescribed for them. That information may assist you in locating additional medication discounts or requesting medication changes from your doctor. In addition to apps that provide discounts on prescription medication, you can find additional ways to save on your health care costs, such as bill negotiation and insurance discounts.
By Admin –
