A full one quarter of Americans had difficulty paying for healthcare costs in 2006. If you are struggling to pay for your monthly medications, you are NOT alone! Here are some GREAT tips from lowering your prescription medication costs.

• Buy generic: Generic drugs are as safe as brand-name medications and typically cost 30 to 80 percent less. Ask your doctor if the medication you’re taking is available in generic form or check online at www.rxaminer.com. Discount retailers like Wal-Mart and Target are currently offering great deals, charging only $4 for a 30-day supply, while Kmart offers a 90-day supply for $15. Costco also offers low cost generics to its members.

• Ask about cheaper alternatives: Even if your drug doesn’t have a generic equivalent, there may be an older, less expensive brand-name drug your doctor can prescribe. Brand-name drugs on the market for seven or more years are up to 40 percent cheaper than newer ones, and studies show that older drugs are just as effective.

• Ask about free samples: Many doctors have extra supplies of medications in their offices and are willing to help out patients in need.

• Buy in bulk: Many pharmacies give discounts if you buy a three month supply of drugs at once versus a 30-day supply.

• Split your pills: Ask your doctor about cutting your pills in half. Pill splitting allows you to get two months’ worth of medicine for the price of one, but not all pills can be split. Splitting devices are available in most pharmacies, or for those hard to split pills see www.precisionpillsplitters.com.

• Shop online: Using online or mail-order pharmacies is another way to cut costs - often 25 percent or more. A top resource for finding U.S.-based pharmacies offering the lowest prices is www.destinationrx.com - click on “Price Compare.” (Tip: Make sure the online pharmacy you’re buying from has the “VIPPS” seal of approval - see www.vipps.info). Seniors enrolled in a Medicare prescription drug plan also need to make sure the online pharmacy they’re buying from is included in their network. Otherwise, the purchase may not count toward their deductible.

• Buy from Canada: This option offers huge savings - between 30 and 80 percent - on brand-name drugs and you’ll be happy to know that the U.S. Customs office has eased import restrictions, so you don’t need to worry that your pills will get seized at the border. If you’re interested, see www.pharmacychecker.com, an independent resource that finds the lowest prices from licensed and reputable Canadian pharmacies. (Note: This is not a good option for Medicare Part D enrollees because it will not count toward their deductible.)

• Seek extra help: If your income is limited, you can probably get help with your drug cost through pharmaceutical patient assistance programs (see www.rxhelp360.org, www.rxassist.org and www.pparx.org), state pharmacy assistance programs, Medicare’s extra help, national and local charitable programs and more. To find out if you’re eligible for these programs visit www.benefitscheckuprx.org. Other good resources to see are www.needymeds.com and www.medicarerights.org - click on “Discount Rx Resources.”

• Get a discount card: Many pharmacies offer drug discount cards to people with and without coverage, regardless of income. The cards may be free or carry a small upfront fee. (If the fee is large, don’t buy it.) These are essentially store “loyalty” cards that can cut your costs by 10 to 25 percent, but not all drugs are eligible for discount. Other resources offering discount cards that are worth a look are www.familywize.com, www.togetherrxaccess.com and www.aarppharmacy.com.

• Check out Bid for Rx: This is a new Web resource (www.bidforrx.com) where licensed pharmacies compete to fill your prescriptions.

You can see the full text of the article here. The bottom line is that you have to do what works for you and your family, and not every solution will work for every person. Take the time to get educated about your options and reach out for the help that you need.

Brand name drugs received through PAPs are FREE. However, if you need generic drugs, there will be a fee for your medications.

Generic drugs are NOT offered through Patient Assistance Programs, but rather by two companies that offer generic medications at a low cost for low-income patients.

The two companies that offer low-cost generic medications are:

• http://www.rxoutreach.com/
• http://www.xubex.com/

RxOutreach offers generic medications for $20, $30, or $40 for a 3 month supply, depending upon the medication. There are income requirements to use their program, and they can be found here. The amount varies depending upon how many people live in your household. To receive low-cost generic medications, you just need to:

• Print the form.
• Fill it out according to their directions and go to your doctor to get a 90 prescription for EACH medication you are applying for.
• Return it to them with your prescriptions and payment.

You can see their available medications here.

Xubex.com is another company that offers low cost generic medications. Their income requirements are here. You must also:

• Be a United States resident
• Must provide a recent proof of income
• Must provide a valid prescription indication number of refills
• Patients enrolled in Medicare Part D are eligible

You can see their complete medication list here. You only need one application for all of your medications, but you DO need an accurate prescription for each medication. The costs for their generic medications are:

• $20.00 – 90 day supply
• $40.00 – 180 day supply
• $80.00 – 360 day supply

These two companies were created to address the problem that you cannot get free generic medications through Patient Assistance Programs. These companies buy generic medications in bulk from the manufacturers and pass it on for a small administrative fee (to cover the cost of processing paperwork, storing the medications, shipping, etc.).

This is a great service for those who need it and who qualify, so don’t hesitate to take advantage of these low-cost generic medications!