Skip to main content

Why paying out-of-pocket for prescriptions might be cheaper than your insurance copay

By Neal Augenstein

Next time you have a drug prescription to fill, it might be wise to pause a moment before taking it to your usual pharmacy — you could save some money.

“We found sometimes it’s cheaper to pay for prescription drugs out of pocket, rather than the copay with your insurance plan,” said Kevin Brasler, executive editor at Washington Consumers’ Checkbook.

“There are a lot of companies out there that offer drug discount programs,” said Brasler. “They work one-on-one with pharmacies to offer lower prices to their members.”

The drug discount companies, which are free to use, include America’s Pharmacy, BlinkHealth, GoodRx, SingleCare and WellRx.

“What these companies are doing is negotiating lower prices with pharmacies,” said Brasler. “It’s not just online pharmacies — a lot of major chains are part of these programs also.”

Here’s how it works: After logging onto the particular discount drug website, a user types in the drug, the quantity desired and often a ZIP code. The website shows the current price at nearby pharmacies.

By clicking on the discount site’s offer, the consumer gets a coupon, which can be printed out or otherwise digitally shared with the lower-priced pharmacy.

“So, you can shop around and pay a lower price sometimes than what you’d pay with your insurance company, by taking advantage of these discounts,” Brasler said.

Before you use one of the apps or websites, Brasler said you might want to check the company’s privacy policy to make sure you’re comfortable with the type of data collected and how it’s used.

“If you’re paying for medicine through your health insurance company, you have strong consumer protections there,” said Brasler. “These discount programs, they don’t fall under HIPAA (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act).”

“A lot of the companies say, ‘Hey, we won’t share your personal information with other companies,’ but you may be in a situation where they’re sharing enough information about you for targeted advertising,” said Brasler.

One thing to remember: If you take advantage of the website coupon and forgo using your health insurance — whether private or Medicare — to buy a given drug, that purchase won’t count toward your annual deductible.

Massachusetts court hears arguments in lawsuit alleging Meta designed apps to be addictive to kids

By The Associated Press
BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts' highest court heard oral arguments Friday in the state's lawsuit arguing that Meta designed features on Facebook and Instagram to make them addictive to young users. The lawsuit, filed in 2023 by Attorney General Andrea Campbell, alleges that Meta did this to make a profit and that its actions affected hundreds of thousands of teenagers in Massachusetts who use the social media platforms. “We are making claims based only on the tools that Meta has developed because its own research shows they encourage addiction to the platform in a variety of ways,” said State Solicitor David Kravitz, adding that the state's claim has nothing to do the company's algorithms or failure to moderate content. Meta said Friday that it strongly disagrees with the allegations and is “confident the evidence will show our longstanding commitment to supporting young people.” Its attorney, Mark Mosier, argued in court that the lawsuit “would impose liabilities for performing traditional publishing functions” and that its actions are protected by the First Amendment.
Read Next Story