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You can save a lot of money when buying prescription drugs. That can sometimes mean paying retail price instead of getting insurance is the cheapest option, according to a Consumer Reports study.
Which Pharmacy Has The Best Prices
Our mystery shoppers called more than 150 pharmacies in six U.S. cities and asked them the retail cash price for a one-month supply of five common prescription drugs.
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The price range they found was amazing. A five-drug “kit” was just $66 at HealthWarehouse.com and $105 at Costco. CVS and Rite Aid, two of the most expensive national retailers, cost nearly $900 for five pills.
“We make a small profit by pricing our products as high as possible,” says Victor Curtis, Ph.D., Costco’s senior vice president of pharmaceuticals. Costco offers a simple experience without being open 24 hours a day, and pharmacies are closed on Sundays, he said.
When we asked CVS and Rite Aid about the relatively high prices, representatives from each explained that the stores have programs to help lower prices for those without insurance.
But when we filled new prescriptions at CVS and Rite Aid and confirmed what we were told, we had mixed results. Some pharmacy employees used store coupons and other receipts to offer much lower prices to customers; others offer little or no discount at all.
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For example, at a Rite Aid store near our headquarters in Yonkers, New York, the price of atorvastatin, a generic version of Lipitor, dropped from $300 to just $18 through a combination of in-store and out-of-store discount programs.
One CVS used the discount to reduce the cost to shoppers by about $86, while another said we had to pay the full store price of $135.
Asked by our customers to comment on the different experiences they’ve had at the two CVS stores, company spokesman Mike DeAngelis said the chain is now rolling out new tools to help pharmacists lower high drug prices. He also said CVS is training its employees “to ensure a consistent customer experience across all of our locations.”
Rite Aid spokeswoman Ashley Flott said the company could not explain the varied experiences our customers had without speaking to the pharmacy staff who assisted them at each location.
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To find out, Consumer Reports’ mystery shoppers called more than 150 pharmacies across the United States, representing a variety of chain, supermarket and independent pharmacies, and compared the prices of the five most common prescription drugs. These include the diabetes drug pioglitazone (generic Actos, 30 mg); the pain reliever celecoxib (generic Celebrex, 200 mg); the antidepressant duloxetine (generic Cymbalta, 20 mg); cholesterol medication atorvastatin (generic Lipitor, 20 mg); and clopidogrel (generic Plavix, 75 mg), a blood thinner. The chart shows the discounted retail price the pharmacy offers for a month’s supply. (All prices are rounded to the nearest dollar.)
[2] Prices in parentheses are the range for selected stores. The total price reflects the average of the combined prices of the five drugs at individual pharmacies.
[3] Prices in parentheses are averages at select Albertsons, Food Lion, Giant Eagle, H-E-B, Hy-Vee, Kroger, Publix and other stores. The total price reflects the combined average price of five types of drugs at grocery store pharmacies.
To find out, Consumer Reports mystery shoppers called more than 150 U.S. pharmacies and compared the prices of five of the most common prescription drugs. These include the diabetes drug pioglitazone (generic Actos, 30 mg); the pain reliever celecoxib (generic Celebrex, 200 mg); the antidepressant duloxetine (generic Cymbalta, 20 mg); cholesterol medication atorvastatin (generic Lipitor, 20 mg); and clopidogrel (generic Plavix, 75 mg), a blood thinner. The chart shows the discounted retail price the pharmacy offers for a month’s supply. (All prices are rounded to the nearest dollar.)
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When you’re the 9 percent of U.S. adults — about 28 million people — who don’t have health insurance and have to pay for prescriptions and other health care costs, buying medicine is critical, says Orly Avitzur, MD. , Consumer Reports medical director. But even if you do get involved, it can be worth the effort.
That’s because we’ve found that pharmacies’ lowest retail prices are better deals than insurance, especially for drugs that aren’t well covered.
However, many people don’t realize how effective shopping can be. A recent CR study found that only 22 percent of current prescription drug users who paid more for their drugs last year compared shopping for a better deal.
Note: If you have insurance but choose not to use it when you buy a prescription drug, the amount you spend will not count toward your deductible or maximum.
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By calling around and asking a lot of questions, our mystery shoppers have identified several strategies to help lower drug costs.
These questions relate to whether retailers will match discounts found online (usually they will) and whether they will match the lowest retail prices offered by nearby competitors (usually they won’t).
CR staff visited New York State pharmacies to write prescriptions and learn more about the in-store experience. We learned that it pays to do some research beforehand and ask the pharmacist very direct questions when needed. Here are our top tips:
Try GoodRx, Blink Health or WeRx.org. They will ask about the name of the drug, the dosage, the number of drugs, and where you live. They will then show you how much you will pay at different pharmacies if you can print and download their discount coupons or on your phone and show them to the pharmacist.
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HealthWarehouse.com online pharmacy buy our drug package at the lowest price. Note that it will not fill certain prescriptions for opioids such as Adderall and Vicodin.
Costco and Sam’s Club prices have been consistently low and can be even cheaper with online coupons. (You don’t have to be a member to get the low prices, but you can save even more if you join — $60 at Costco, $100 at Sam’s Club.)
Also consider independent and grocery store pharmacies. Prescription drug prices vary and some are very expensive. But the cheapest prices we found in every city we called were almost always at these stores.
Our customers know that pharmacies almost always respect them, but you need to be persistent. Pharmacists tend to automatically fill prescriptions with insurance, even when it costs less to pay retail prices and use discount coupons.
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Discounts are available in store, but rarely unless you specifically ask for them. Third-party online discount coupons are often deeper and more interesting. So ask for “every possible” discount and get the best deal. Otherwise, pharmacists may simply use your insurance, and if you don’t have insurance, they may give you a discount in store or charge you the full retail price.
We found it pointless to ask if they would match the lower prices offered at other stores. None of the stores our mystery shoppers contacted agreed to do so.
Fill all your prescriptions after you find a pharmacy that regularly offers good deals. This makes it easier for pharmacists to spot dangerous interactions and other safety issues. But if you find that the price of your drug is going up significantly, it’s time to start the process all over again and find another major retailer.
This article and related materials were prepared in connection with the United States Attorney General’s Consumer and Physician Education Grant Program funded by the resolution of an international consumer fraud complaint involving the marketing of the prescription drug Neurontin (gabapentin).
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Note that this story has been updated to explain why the total prices on the chart don’t always match. Order your prescription online and skip the trip to the pharmacy. We’ve checked out the top 5 prescription drug sites.
This content has been researched and written based on extensive testing by an independent review team and does not represent the views or opinions of the Daily Health editorial team. Everyday Health may receive a commission for the purchase of products mentioned in this article.
According to the 2022 report, people are turning to online pharmacies for cheaper prescriptions than brick-and-mortar pharmacies. in an article published in the journal Pharmacy in April. However, not all sites that offer cheap prescription drugs are safe places to shop. According to the National Association of Pharmacies (NABP), about 95 percent of websites that sell prescription drugs are illegal.
We’ve researched the best online pharmacies to help you find a safe and secure way to fill your prescriptions online. Our top picks offer free standard shipping and are NABP licensed and accredited for safety
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