Prescription medications can be very expensive in the US. When a person does not have prescription insurance or for some other reason needs to pay out of pocket, how can we quickly find out how much the medication will cost?
Also, how can we find out if it will be cheaper to use pills with a higher milligram strength or purchase a greater number of pills at a time? And, most importantly, how can we find out which pharmacy the patient should go to for getting the lowest possible price in his area?
The website I routinely use, and recommend to my patients, is Goodrx.com.
One can search for the cost of a particular medication in a particular zip code. One can print out a coupon to get a lower price. I actually did this myself to get a lower price for a relative who did not have health insurance in the US. One can also see what the price will be at different pharmacies in the area. You may be surprised to find that the price varies significantly for the exact same medication!
One can also compare the cost of generic versus brand name medication.
And, one can see whether ordering a larger number of pills will save money (or not).
Lastly, the patient should obtain the free coupon (by print, email, or text). If the patient goes to the exact same pharmacy but without the coupon, the price will probably be greater.
(Note: This image of a coupon is presented only as an example and this is not a valid coupon)
Discount card versus discount coupons
One of our Members noted that the GoodRx discount cards do not provide the same discount as individual coupons downloaded from the website or app. Using individual GoodRx coupons for particular medications thas given the best discounts in her experience.
Other similar resources
There are some other resources that are similar to Goodrx, e.g., Blink Health (www.blinkhealth.com). But, I compared Goodrx to Blink Health for several commonly used psychotropic medications and Blink Health was more expensive in every case. SPMH aims to provide simple and direct guidance, so instead of confusing our readers with many options, we only provided the one I recommend to my own patients.
Have you not heard of Goodrx.com before seeing this web page? Please do let us know in the Leave a Reply box below. If you used Goodrx.com for your patients, please let us know in the “Leave a Reply” box below what your experience with it was.
Disclaimer: Neither Simpleandpractical.com nor Rajnish Mago, MD are in any way affiliated with Goodrx.com and are not responsible for the accuracy of the information provided on Goodrx.com. Anyone using the website Goodrx.com is fully responsible for checking and comparing prices of medications.
Related Pages
Medication pricing: So this is how it works (external link)
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I use GoodRx all the time and love it! In a previous comment, someone questioned privacy and what is done with the client information. I am not sure what feedback they get from pharmacies, but from their website you can print the coupons without entering any personal client information. I have also found it is best to print the coupons rather than using the card.
I have recommended GoodRx to my patients for several years. One point to be aware of is that the GoodRx discount cards do not provide the same discount as individual coupons downloaded from the website or app. Using the individual coupons has given the best discounts in my experience. I treat a young population so most of them have smartphones and Internet access, but the discount cards might be useful for people who do not have easy access to technology.
Thanks, Sandra, for that additional information! I did not know that the discount cards provide less of a discount. It’s a good thing I have not been handing them out or recommending them. Best wishes, Raj
the alternative to Goodrx is BlinkHealth which does not include dealing with a coupon. Before I recommend these sites , the question I would like answered is what is happening to client information when it gets entered into these sites. So far I have not seen any unwanted consequences, but the potential for mis-use of medical information is certainly there and the websites do not make any statement about privacy of this information. What is the business model that allows them to achieve prices lower than what a patient would get if they walked into the pharmacy with a prescription and just paid the asking price?
Thanks for your thoughtful comment!
1. I compared Goodrx to Blink Health for several commonly used psychotropic medications and Blink Health was more expensive in every case. SPMH aims to provide simple and direct guidance, so instead of confusing our readers with many options, we only provided the one I recommend to my own patients.
2. Regarding privacy, I don’t have any specific information but I assume that they are governed by the same laws about protected health information that pharmacies are regulated by.
3. Regarding their business model, they negotiate discounts, so they are providing a great service to our patients. See https://support.goodrx.com/hc/en-us/articles/360001302523-How-does-GoodRx-make-money-
My patients regularly thank me for telling them about Goodrx. Invariably, Goodrx allows them to get the medication at prices lower than what pharmacies like CVS and Rite-Aid charge.
Note: SPMH or I do not have and have never had any relationship with Goodrx, financial or otherwise.
– Rajnish (“Raj”) Mago, MD
Good morning Dr. Mago,
Yes, GoodRx is a wonderful resource and I’ve been using this app for a few years now. I tell patients to download the app to their mobile phone and look for the coupons and best price just as you outlined. Patients have reported saving hundreds of dollars per
month using brand medications, like Latuda.
Thank you kindly for caring about every aspect of psychiatry, including the cost of medications to our patients!
Sincerely,
Dr. Chris Cotner
I routinely recommend GoodRx to all uninsured patients, and often can find a reasonable rate on a med for patients who are insured but their insurance plan is denying coverage for a particular med. In this case, they often need to use a different pharmacy from the one that has their insurance info entered in its database.