HealthyLife Articles

Tag: prescriptions

  • Be Wise, Stretch Your Health Care Dollars

    Medical Care

    Small shopping cart with pills and money.

    Use discounts and coupons for services and supplies that you need.* Examples are:

    *  Membership discounts on prescriptions, over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, eyeglasses, and contact lenses. You can get these if you are a member of wholesale clubs, such as Costco, Sam’s Club, AAA, and AARP.

    *  Advertised specials, such as buy-one-get-one free prescription eyeglasses

    *  Coupons from local drug stores for OTC medications and supplies, such as a home blood pressure monitor

    *  Get treatment for a condition before it becomes more serious and more expensive to manage.

    *  Ask your doctor if you could benefit from taking part in a clinical trial for a condition you have. Clinical trials provide free expert medical care for persons who qualify. You can also get information for them fromclinicaltrials.gov.

    *  Follow your doctor’s advice for which products to buy.

    A Year of Health Hints book by the American Institute for Preventive Medicine. www.HealthyLife.com. All rights reserved.

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • Save Money On Medications

    Medication

    Small stack of money next to a small stack of pills.

    *  Find out if medications are no longer needed and/or if you could reduce your need of any medication through lifestyle changes.

    *  Take a list of the medications that your health plan prefers (formulary) to office visits.

    *  Ask if one medication can replace the work of two or three.

    *  Ask for free samples and/or a prescription for a few days’ supply to find out if the medicine works for you before you pay for a full prescription.

    *  Ask your doctor or pharmacist if lower-cost options exist, either in a generic form (co-pays for generics cost less, too), a less expensive brand-name drug, or an over-the-counter (OTC) drug.

    *  Ask your doctor if it would save money to prescribe pills that could be cut in half.

    *  Use a mail order pharmacy for prescribed medicines you take on a regular basis. You can usually get a 3-month supply for the same cost that you would pay for a 30 day supply at a drug store.

    *  Shop around for the lowest costs. Compare costs from your pharmacy, large chain pharmacies, and grocery and retail stores that have pharmacies. Use Web sites that compare prices for prescription medicines.

    A Year of Health Hints book by the American Institute for Preventive Medicine. www.HealthyLife.com. All rights reserved.

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine