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Q. My husband and I are 63. I am on nine prescriptions and my husband is on four prescriptions for his asthma. Our insurance does not cover prescriptions.
We estimate our prescription cost this year is approximately $11,000. Do you have any suggestions where we can buy our prescriptions to save money?
A. Without drug insurance or Medicare coverage you are vulnerable. You get charged full price at the pharmacy, whereas insurance companies and the government negotiate discounts.
Buying brand name prescription drugs from Canada can save you money. Be careful, though. Not all online pharmacies that claim to be Canadian are legitimate. Look for the Provincial pharmacy license number on the Web site.
Generic drugs can also result in substantial savings, but we worry about lax FDA oversight. Readers of this column have reported some problems with generic drugs.
We are sending you our Guide to Saving Money on Medicine with tips for using generic drugs safely and guidelines for buying medicines from Canada. It can be downloaded for $2 from the Website: www.peoplespharmacy.com.
As a Certified Health Educator, I can understand your problem, as the costs of medications are bankrupting Americans, and doctors aren't helping much. The only answer is disease management. Ask your doctor where you can attend an Asthma Management course (and other lifestyle mananagement courses--depending on what your medications are for). If they can't help you, start doing your own research. Education is empowerment!
In some states the Triple A Auto Club members have access to discounted prescriptions at participating pharmacies without any additional membership charges. These are mainstream pharmacies such as CVS, Walgreens, Eckerds, etc. I would imagine that Wal-Mart and other pharmacies participate as well.
I have an Rx card through my health insurance, but the Triple A (AAA) Auto Club card comes in handy when my health insurance doesn't cover all prescriptions.