Does anyone know of programs that help with prescriptions?

[momof3boys]

I have insurance through my husband's work, and have recieved savings cards for medications like Vimpat, and Lamictal before. But I just wondered if there were any prescription savings programs out there that offer out of pocket assistance, even if you have insurance?

Im finding alot of saving programs that offer help if you dont have insurance.

I just wondered if anyone knew of any good programs that offer help even if you have insurance, for our out of pocket expenses.

Thanks

[Eve]

Try going online to the company that makes your drugs ( for example UCB or Merck) and often they will have coupons or a coupon savings program. I know the Keppra XR used to have a special discount program there's some kinda form you have to fill out. You have to go to the company website that makes the drug. Good Luck!

[momof3boys]

Try going online to the company that makes your drugs ( for example UCB or Merck) and often they will have coupons or a coupon savings program. I know the Keppra XR used to have a special discount program there's some kinda form you have to fill out. You have to go to the company website that makes the drug. Good Luck!

Yeah I have the Keppra savings card. I have to spend at least $75 or more each time at the pharmacy, then it will give me a savings of $30. But the problem I have with that. is that now that my insurance changed things, I can only get 1 month supplies through out local pharmacy, which would be around $35-$50 each. So I wouldnt be able to use the savings card, since Im spending less than $75. It sucks!

Ill try contacting the manufacter of my pills to see if they have anything to offer.

Thanks

[momof3boys]

My bad! I just looked it up on the Keppra savings card, and it tells me this...

*With this coupon, you pay the first $25 of your Keppra XR® or Keppra® co-pay and we pay your remaining out-of-pocket expense up to a maximum of $30. This coupon may not be reproduced and must accompany a valid, signed Keppra XR® prescription.

So I guess it would be same for me to get it through the local pharmacy, like Im paying the same through express scripts! Im paying $25 a month for it through express scripts. I thought it would be at least $35 for me to pay at our local pharmacy. Guess I was wrong! Darn it! I just recieved my 6 month supply of Keppra XR last week. The Keppra savings card is good through this year.... so I guess I will have to wait to see if they issue a new card for next year and try again in march of 2012 to see if I can use it.

[Eve]

I used to take Keppra XR a few years ago and I had a low income so they were going to give me a real good deal but they took forever to get the paperwork through(5 or 6 months) so I ended up switching over to the regular Keppra(not XR) to save a little money. Try calling the company. I called the drug company and they were real nice. I think they sent me an extra coupon. They were easier to talk to than the insurance company.
I am going to check and see what Express Scripts is charging me for the keppra and Ill let you know.

[momof3boys]

That sucks they took forever to get back to you!

I havnt thought about contacting Keppra to ask if they could help.
I might have to do that. As far as what we pay, prior to starting Keppra XR in November of 2010, I was taking Keppra for years... like 11 years or so. We were paying $150 for a six month supply. Once I got switched over to the Keppra XR, I thought it was going to be more, but turns out its less expensive! I can get a six month supply for $100. Plus it works better for me. I dont have those awful headaches that I had with Keppra, for all those years.

[Eve]

When I took Keppra Xr a couple years ago it was $60 a month. Then when I switched to the regular Keppra it was $40 a month....the $40 a month was with United Health. Has keppra Xr gone down in price in the last few years?? Or maybe it because my insurance has changed 4 times in the last 2 years.:

And of course now I am on this Keppra thru express scripts. What really made me mad was a couple of months ago they sent me the Generic Keppra without my Doctors authorization! My doctor does not want me to take the generic Keppra. I was really upset! I called Express Scripts and of course I couldn't return the medicine. I called the Doctor and they were mad at Express Scripts for sending me the Generic. It was a hassle. Because I was out of this Keppra because of all the fighting between the Doctor the pharmacy and Express Scripts they finally let me get the 1 month prescription from the Drugstore meanwhile the Doctor had to resubmit the forms that I was to only get the Brand Keppra because of my break through seizures. It was crazy . The whole thing gave me a Migraine.

[momof3boys]

Thats exacly what I am going through now with my Glucophage XR! I sent in the prescription saying Name Brand Necessary, and it came up online under my order status as Glucophage XR, but then they changed it to Metformin XR. By the time I noticed that change online, they had already shipped it out. Now yesterday I spent all day asking what the hell I need to do in order to get the Glucophage XR I need. I cant take the metformin due to the bad side effects I have with it. My drs office has faxed over forms saying I cant take the generic, and yesterday express scripts tried telling me I have to have my drs fax over a brand new prescription and write NO NOT CONVERT, Brand Name Necessary on the prescription. Exacly what I sent to them the first time! Its a HUGE pain in the ass! They told me if I need more before then, to go get a months worth at my pharmacy! Why pay $35 for a months worth, when I would be paying express scripts only $25 a month!

[Eve]

Whew I just got of the phone with Express Scripts and now I have a migraine.
Remember I told you I had stopped taking Zoloft? I called them a month ago and told them to stop sending it to me......they will continue to charge your credit card too. Well they still had the Zoloft on the list and they would have kept sending it to me even though I cancelled it. So I Instructed them to cancel it again!

I told them again never to send me the generic Keppra and gave them a long lecture on the dangers of sending people the generic seizure medication without proper Doctor approval. My doctor has told me switching to a generic Seizure drug after you've been on a Brand for a while can cause breakthrough seizures. I think he listened.

Also I pressed 0 to get the patient advocate and it seemed to work better. Although I still had to wait so he could make calls.We'll see........................ .My Doctor changed my dosage on my Keppra so they said they needed to a brand new prescription so I called the Doctors office .................keeping my fingers crossed that that goes thru smoothly.

BTW I also told them to stop sending me the migraine medicine. Last night I had a migraine and it didn't work and I still have a migraine

[momof3boys]

Oh hun, I wish we both didnt have to go through all these steps with his stupid place to get our medications we need! I dont think the people there, at least half of them know what they are doing! Im just praying we both get the medications we need and they finally get things right!

I asked about paying methods and I chose not to have a credit card on file when purchasing my medications. The customer service gal said once I recieve my medications, they have an invoice in the package, I can just send out a check with that and mail it to them. So thats what I did with my Keppra XR. But with those whole mix up over my Glucophage and them sending me the Metformin, they had to credit my account the $35 they charged me for the metformin, since it wasnt my fault they sent it, and in the meantime, since they hadnt recieved the check yet, which was sent out on monday of this week, I had to make a payment of $25 for my balance to be below $100 dollars before they can fill my glucophage XR. So I gave them a one time credit card payment of $25 yesterday, instead of waiting for my check to go through, (they said it would probably go through sometime next week) and made sure they get started on my glucophage xr prescription. The remaining balance, I will pay off with a check, once I recieve my glucophage xr. Since thats the last of the medications I will be needing for the next few months.

[Eve]

I use my credit card I just want to make sure I get my medicine. Its enough aggravation dealing with it as it is. I don't want to have to worry about the check getting lost in the mail. The postal service is not dependable where I live.

I gave the guy on the phone a lecture I even told him I was involved in an Epilepsy support group and I think that shook him up a little especially when I explained to him the occasional dangers of sending Epileptics generics without their Dr approval especially after they've been taking a Brand Name Drug for a while. I will still on hold alot though.

[momof3boys]

Oh my gosh! Sounds like you had the type of day I had yesterday with them! Talk about just wanting to get things over with and get things done right!

I had a bad experience when I gave our my credit card number to a company. They started charging me for things that I didnt want, and then had to go through all the trouble with the company to get it taken off. I had them pull my payment information and from now on, I stick with paying through checks, or else if I do happen to pay online, like with my cell phone, I can type in the exact amount, instead of them approving payment for what they want me to pay. I wish I hadnt had that bad experience, but I dont want to go through all of that again!

[epileric]

I just came across this site & thought of this thread.

GoodRX, which launched a new Web site today at the Health 2.0 conference in San Francisco, aims to show consumers where they can find the lowest price on prescription drugs by ZIP code.

Startup helps find cheapest prescription drugs

[Eve]

I just came across this site & thought of this thread.



Startup helps find cheapest prescription drugs

Thanks Looks like some interesting info there.

I think what I need to do is register online with the mail order company so I can maybe keep better control of my meds.

[epileric]

Thanks Looks like some interesting info there.

I"m always glad to be of service

[PhylisFeinerJohnson]

Here are a bunch of resources you might find helpful:


The RxSavingsPlus is a free drug/prescription discount card, to help lower the price for medication. It can be used at CVS Pharmacy, Target, Rite Aid and 60,000 participating pharmacies nationwide. And offers an average of 20% off the retail price of drugs. (Kind of skimpy, but one-stop shopping.) http://www.rxsavingsplus.com/

Plus, there are a whole bunch more. But they involve more work on your part...

Free Medicine Program — established by volunteers, the Free Medicine Program helps patients substantially reduce or completely eliminate their prescription drug costs. http://www.freemedicineprogram.org/

Prescription Hope – over 1,500 brand name medications are offered as prescribed, by your doctor. $15 per prescription per month service fee. There is a yearly enrollment fee of only $15, no other medication cost and no hidden costs. http://www.prescriptionhope.com/index.html

RxAssist – a patients assistance program can help you find pharmaceutical company programs and other resources to help reduce your medication costs. http://www.rxassist.org/patients/default.cfm

Rxhope.com: A patient assistance company partially funded by the pharmaceutical manufacturers. It promises to speed requests for no-cost medications. The website includes information on which medicines are covered by assistance programs. www.rxhope.com/

Needymeds — a list of programs that assists people who cannot afford medicine or healthcare costs. http://www.needymeds.org/

Pharmaceutical Company Patient Assistance Programs – many pharmaceutical companies offer Patient Assistance Programs to those who cannot afford the cost of their medications but are ineligible for Medicaid due to their income. Click here for a list of each company’s contact information: http://www.efwp.org/programs/pap_list.shtml

Epilepsy Foundation Medication Coverage – 25 prescription med links, plus links for generics and Veteran’s benefits. http://www.efwp.org/programs/pap_list.shtml

Pharmahelper – is a comparison search engine for prescription medicine and detailed drug knowledge. It helps you save money and buy prescription drugs safely online. You can also research drugs, compare pharmacy prices, even find drug savings based upon your particular condition. http://www.pharmahelper.com/

Access 2 Wellness — designed to assist people with limited or no health insurance get the help they need to lead healthier lives. People can learn about a variety of assistance programs that, combined, offer more than 1,000 prescription medicines and medical products for free or at a discount to qualified individuals. http://www.access2wellness.com/a2w/index.html

SelectCare Benefits Network – over 1400 brand name and many generic medicines for a net cost of only $20 per month. By becoming a member of SelectCare Benefits Network you will be assigned a Personal Care Advocate who will simplify the process of applying for Patient Assistance Programs and make it easy for you to get your medications for very little out-of-pocket cost. http://www.myrxadvocate.com/

[Eve]

Wow alot of good and useful info here.