06-08-2022, 05:14 PM
If you want cash price without a discount card across multiple pharmacies, you won’t find a central database. There just isn’t one. A few pharmacies do provide on their own websites their cash prices, Costco being the most notable. The only databases with multiple pharmacies that exist are for use with discount cards (goodrx, etc).
Even the cash price (no discount card of any kind) isn’t really a thing for all drugs. Kroger and Walmart for example will run “cash” claims through their discount card if it can. If you have multiple drugs, it’s much much better to pick a pharmacy and stay there even if the prices may not be lowest for each drug. By using one pharmacy, you are optimizing health outcomes by generally preventing interactions and other issues that could be hidden in or exacerbated by pharmacy shopping.
That said, typically grocery-based pharmacies will be lowest cash cost, and chain pharmacies highest. Independents can wildly vary. Mail order (your express scripts and the like) may be available without insurance, but may be limited on drugs available, and probably are using a discount card though you may not see it.
Even the cash price (no discount card of any kind) isn’t really a thing for all drugs. Kroger and Walmart for example will run “cash” claims through their discount card if it can. If you have multiple drugs, it’s much much better to pick a pharmacy and stay there even if the prices may not be lowest for each drug. By using one pharmacy, you are optimizing health outcomes by generally preventing interactions and other issues that could be hidden in or exacerbated by pharmacy shopping.
That said, typically grocery-based pharmacies will be lowest cash cost, and chain pharmacies highest. Independents can wildly vary. Mail order (your express scripts and the like) may be available without insurance, but may be limited on drugs available, and probably are using a discount card though you may not see it.