On the back of rising household costs and sometimes shaky incomes, getting the medication you need can be a big financial burden. Americans spent a whopping $45 billion out-of-pocket on retail prescription drugs in 2011, according to the study by Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services (CMMS). Based largely on a review of the findings, here are five ways that you can get prescription discounts and save yourself some money: Ask your doctor Surprisingly, a fair amount of people (two in every 10 between 18-64 years to be exact) ask their doctor for a lower-cost medication (in effect a prescription discount). This is according to a 2011 US study by CMMS. Even if you are accustomed to bartering, this can be difficult for some. Another way to get prescription discounts is to get a discount pharmacy card. Having one can remove the awkwardness of asking your doctor for a discount. (However, if you do barter, you may even be able to use your card to get a discount on the lower-cost medication.) Purchase overseas Another little fact revealed by the CMMS study was that about two in every 100 adults aged 18–64 seek prescription discounts by trying to purchase their prescribed drugs overseas. However, are they getting their discounts at a risk to their health? Getting prescribed drugs from overseas is risky as the testing standards may be low (or nonexistent), which at best could mean they are of lesser quality or may not be the required strength. At worst, it could mean they contain impurities known to be harmful to your health. With a discount pharmacy card, you may be able to access the drugs you need direct from your local pharmacy. This also means you don’t have to worry about falling prey to online scams or additional shipping charges. Ask your pharmacy Pharmacies sometimes offer their own cards for getting prescription discounts. These affinity cards give you discounts on drugs that are purchased in that pharmacy. Overall, the rule for most prescription discount cards is that the more common the drug you take, the better chance you can get a discount. Check out the department store Besides pharmacies, you can also get prescription discounts through affinity cards offered by some discount department stores. Next time you’re in such a store, check it out. They may offer the drug you want at their store through one of these cards. They may also offer vouchers or discounts through their store flyers, so those are also worth checking out. You may just have to visit a few stores and pharmacies to find one that meets your needs. Look online There are now several options for getting prescription discounts through cards that are available on the web. A quick search will reveal several options. Some online networks offer prescription assistance by membership, where you can save money on medication as part of a simple and free Rx drug discount program (without the need to disclose any personal information). Frequently, it’s just a case of downloading the card, printing it and showing it at your local pharmacy. If you are looking for ways to secure prescription discounts, look no further. Our website SimpleRx has a wealth of information and a downloadable discount card. Check us out right now! To know how you can save money on prescriptions, you may also visit Wisegeek.
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