Spending and Saving

How to Get Prescription Drugs on the Cheap

Too bad sickness doesn’t notice when your health coverage runs out. When you’ve got a stubborn cough or an illness that just won’t go away, it doesn’t matter if you’re having financial trouble or if you’ve been out of work for the past year. You’ll still need medication if you hope to get better, and that medication doesn’t come cheap.

The average cost to fill a single prescription was $69.91 in 2007, according to a report by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, an amount that adds up quickly for families with multiple children getting sick at multiple times throughout the year. And in 2008 alone, the average increase in manufacturer price for brand name prescription medications went up 8.7 percent.

Since the recession began, however, a number of programs have begun to fill the void for cash-strapped families and individuals—offering free or reduced prescription medications to those in need. With so many programs available, it’s not so much a matter of finding a program as it is finding the program that is right for you.

Pfizer’s MAINTAIN Program

The benefits: Participants in the MAINTAIN program are eligible to receive all of their Pfizer medications at no cost for one year from the time they first enrolled or became uninsured. The limited-time program is slated to run until December 2010.

How to qualify: Individuals must be able to prove that they lost their job on or after January 1, 2009, and that they were on a Pfizer medication for at least three months prior to the job loss. In addition, participants must be able to show a financial need and cannot have any additional prescription coverage in place.

Find out more: Check out Pfizer’s Patient Assistance website to determine whether you might be eligible. From there, you can fill out a one-page application, which takes one to three weeks to process.

TogetherRx Access

The benefits: Eligible participants can get discounts on more than 300 medications produced by Abbott, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline, and dozens of other major pharmaceutical companies. Although the amount of money saved varies depending on the specific medication and the pharmacy used, average savings range from 25 to 40 percent off most prescriptions.

How to qualify: To obtain a TogetherRx Access card, participants must not have any prescription drug coverage and nor be eligible for Medicare coverage, either. Individuals may not earn more than $45,000 a year, while families of five must earn less than $105,000 to qualify.

Find out more: Apply at the TogetherRx Access website, or by calling 1-800-444-4106.

AzstraZeneca’s AZ&Me Program

The benefits: The AZ&Me program gives members access to any prescribed AstraZeneca medications at a free or reduced cost.

How to qualify: To be eligible for free medications, families of four must have an annual income of $60,000 a year or less, while qualifying individuals can earn $30,000 or less and couples can earn $40,000 or less. In addition, qualified participants cannot receive any other drug coverage through a private insurance company or Medicare, or receive any military or veteran benefits. Members can enroll for up to 12 months at a time.

Find out more: Take a survey to determine whether you qualify for the program at the AZ&Me website.

Wal-Mart’s $4 Prescriptions Program

The benefits: Wal-Mart customers can get a 30-day supply of more than 350 generic prescription medications for just $4. In addition, 90-day supplies of those medications are available for $10.

How to quality: Customers at most Wal-Mart or Sam’s Club pharmacies nationwide are eligible for the discount. There’s no catch and no barriers to qualifying. Just make sure that your doctor specifies that a generic version of the medication is acceptable when he or she writes your prescription. Generic versions of many blood pressure, antibiotic, arthritis, and mental health medications are all included in the plan, just make sure to take a look at the full list of available drugs to ensure that a generic version of your current medication is included in the deal.

Find out more: Visit the pharmacy at your local Walmart or Sam’s Club, or read more about the program on Wal-Mart’s website.

Merck Patient Assistance Program

The benefits: For those who qualify, the program provides many (but not all) prescribed Merck medications free of charge for up to one year.

How to qualify: Eligible participants must be U.S. residents with a prescription for a Merck medication but don’t have any other prescription drug coverage. In addition, participants must have a household income of $43,320 or less (for individuals), $58,280 or less (for couples), or $88,200 or less (for a family of four) to qualify.

Find out more: Download the application directly from the Merck website, or call 1-800-727-5400 to speak with a representative and determine your eligibility.

PhRMA’s Partnership for Prescription Assistance Program

The benefits: Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America matches patients without prescription coverage to a public or private drug plan that offers medications for a discounted or free rate. With more than 475 programs to choose from, PhRMA boasts that it can help nearly any individual in need save money on prescription drug costs by matching him or her with the right program.

How to qualify: Because this program matches patients with outside drug plans that meet their needs, there is no minimum eligibility requirement to take part. After filling out PhRMA’s single application, your status will be determined and you’ll be notified which public or private drug plans you qualify for.

Find out more: Download an application directly through PhRMA’s prescription assistance program website.

Abbott Patient Assistance Program

The benefits: Abbott offers its program participants access to all prescribed Abbott medications at no cost.

How to qualify: To enroll in the program, individuals must demonstrate a financial need, which is determined based on the Federal Poverty Guidelines (you can see the 2009 guidelines right here). In addition, patients may not have any additional health coverage, or access to any alternative sources of coverage such as Medicaid, in order to qualify for the Abbott program.

Find out more: For specific eligibility requirements and to determine if you qualify, call 1-800-222-6885 or visit the Patient Assistance Foundation website.

Tags: health care, medications, saving money