[drugs] mail order discount?

[mattkime]

After a long period of _not_ seeing doctors, I've seen several this past year. This has resulted in taking drugs for the things that ail me. I know that some people save money by buying drugs mail order.

is there some sort of process to transfer the prescription from my local pharmacy to the mail order pharmacy?

can you use coupons with the mail order places?

how much money do you save? my copay on 3 months of a drug is 2.5x the monthly copay. doesn't seem worth it unless i've been put on something expensive.

[cbelt3]

Some healthcare plans require you to use a mail order pharmacy. Like ours. Which annoys me, because some drugs are damaged by being left in a hot or cold mailbox...

The process depends entirely on your healthcare plan.

[MikeF]

In our healthcare plan, the 90-day prescription by mail refill has the same co-pay as a 30-day local pharmacy refill. Our mail one is CVS's Caremark (www.caremark.com) which works for us since the local is CVS.

[TL]

If you post which mail order pharmacy you expect to use, you may be able to get some assistance with how to get started.

Drugs identified by the manufacturer as temperature sensitive are generally shipped expedited and/or in special packaging to prevent damage, but the pharmacy you use can check your location and the specific medication for shipping parameters.

[Black]

I'm not sure you're going to find things cheaper at a mail-order pharmacy. I've never used one so I can't comment further.

I think a call to your local pharmacy will answer the "transfer" question, but I'd guess you'll need a new script.

[TL]

Most prescriptions can be transferred. It does depending on several factors including state laws (some states like Ohio have some weird rules), type of medication (controlled substances are generally not transferable), and whether it makes financial sense to transfer (if you pay a flat copay for a 30 vs 90 day supply, and your current rx is a 30 day supply, it's a bad $$ idea to transfer). General pharmacy practice is for the pharmacy that will fill the prescription to request the transfer, though it can be done the either way.

As for cost savings, it really depends on what specific medications you are on, and how your insurance covers them. A call to your insurance company, or a review of your benefits at the insurance website, would be best to ensure you are going to save.

[Black]

TL wrote:
A call to your insurance company, or a review of your benefits at the insurance website, would be best to ensure you are going to save.

Actually, if your insurance is anything like mine (Humana/Rightsource) you'll want to make 3-5 calls to your insurance and go with whichever information you receive the majority of the time (or flip a coin if there's a tie.)

[ka jowct]

If you are taking asthma meds, don't expect to save any significant amount.

[Fred_Also]

MikeF wrote:
In our healthcare plan, the 90-day prescription by mail refill has the same co-pay as a 30-day local pharmacy refill. Our mail one is CVS's Caremark (www.caremark.com) which works for us since the local is CVS.

Mine's about the same Caremark /CVS. They told me this year that I could get anything in the pharmacy or mail order at the same price, so I switched everything to the pharmacy.

I was getting a 30 day supply of Celebrex at the pharmacy for $50. I had my doctor write a 90 day prescription, took it to the pharmacy & they charged me $70 for 90 day supply ( 200 mg 1 per day). Saved me $80 in 3 months.

So it does pay to check your different options.

Fred

[Dennis S]

I'm sure you know it, but the first place to check is Walmart and others $4 prescriptions. And, they are usually $10 for 3 months.

My Mom was forced by her insurance company to use Medco.com. They are one of the biggest in the country, I think. I don't know how their prices are, but they are a hassle for her sometimes with frequent notices and delays. She has had to scrounge locally when her doctor and Medco couldn't get straight on her insulin.

I would put finding a mailorder place on the back burner because the price will likely not be much cheaper and there is always the danger of a medicine being late.