As the cost of health insurance increases so does the cost of prescription and over the counter drugs.Employers are trying to find ways for employees to find affordable health insurance and make it a little easier to fill prescriptions but with a never ending increase in sight it seems almost impossible.There are other alternatives however to saving on prescription drugs.Here are some of the best ways for employees to save on prescriptions.
- Ask for samples.Every time you go to the doctor and they write out a prescription you can probably save money by simply asking for some samples that they have in stock.Pharmacists are constantly going around giving doctors samples for them to give to patients and many times they’ll forget that they even have them.The next time they write out a prescription for you ask them if they have any samples.
- Shop around.Once you have your prescription it might do some good to shop around.It will take you some extra time, but the savings might be worth it in the end.You can call around to different pharmacies to see what their prices are; generally most of their prices will be around the same but you might find that places like Wal-Mart or Target are having specials and you can find your prescription for as little as $4.
- Purchase in Quantity.As you compare prices you might want to consider purchasing in quantities.This may not work as well for prescriptions you get form the doctor, but over the counter prescriptions can be purchased in quantities and can save you a lot of money.If one pharmacy has their generic brand cold medicines on sale then why not stock up now, especially if you know you will use it.
- Use your flexible spending plan.If you have health insurance through your employer then one of the best ways to save on prescriptions is to use the money you put aside for your flexible spending account or cafeteria plan.The money that is taken out is designed specifically for these kinds of purchases and expenses.The money is tax free and you will have to estimate about how much you will need for the entire year, but there are a lot of savings through using these types of employer plans.These are especially great for families with kids that are most definitely going to need prescriptions throughout the entire year.
- Generic vs. Name brand prescriptions.Many times the name brand prescriptions will cost you almost double what you would pay for the generic brand.Places like Wal-Mart or K-Mart started a great trend when they started coming out with generic brands of great over the counter prescriptions.There are literally hundreds of generic prescriptions available for as little as $4.
- Use a discount prescription card.If you don’t have insurance you might be able to use a drug discount card to receive reduced prices on medicines.Some discount cards are free and others have monthly or annual fees.Make sure you look into the card before you purchase it to make sure it’s legitimate and you’re not going to be scammed.The PS Card is one example of a drug card that can be used at over 50,000 pharmacies.
- Buy from another country.There’s no question that buying from places like Mexico or Canada will definitely save you money on prescriptions.You may have a problem however trying to get the drugs back across the border since it is illegal to re-import drugs.There are some exceptions to this rule however a safer way might be to look online and order from a foreign based online pharmacy.
These are just a few of the best ways for employees to save on prescriptions and there are definitely other ways to do it.They might have to be creative and ask around to see what other people have done.This should be a good starting point for them.
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