Now for another installment of You Never Know What Savings Will Mean to Someone:
Bill is a career corrections officer with 30 years on the job. He’s on a high-deductible health plan. For a good chunk of each plan year, he’s on the hook for 100% of the cost of his prescriptions–all 12 of them.
Our conversation touched on several familiar struggles with the pharmacy system, and also the different ways Rx Savings Solutions helps consumers in situations like Bill’s.
Price-Shopping and Persistent Outreach
“I’d always gotten my prescriptions filled at the same pharmacy. You all kept telling me I could get a better price for one of them at a different pharmacy. Sure enough, it was $65 cheaper. Now I just drive north instead of west.”
Bill didn’t heed the suggestion right away. If not for regular, repeated outreach, he likely never would have.
“I knew Rx Savings Solutions was part of our benefits package. I was getting postcards. You would send me (Savings Notification) emails every time I filled a prescription. At first, I ignored them but then I started paying more attention and signed up. It’s easy to do online but I’ve also been talking to (Pharmacy Support) on the phone.”
Concierge Service
Two of Bill’s more expensive prescriptions were brand-name eyedrops, one at $235 per month and the other at $390.
“At one time, I was paying that all out of pocket. That’s why I was scrambling to try and find something. I was able to get a copay card for the first one, so it’s only $30 and hopefully (the manufacturer) will renew it after 12 months. For the other, you all got me changed to a different drop. I went from paying $390 to $11 now–that’s cheaper than a copay card, and I don’t have to worry about the card for it anymore.”
It wasn’t a one-and-done interaction with our Pharmacy Support team.
“With one of my meds, they helped me switch to one (in the same therapeutic class) that had a lower cost. Later, they found me an even cheaper one, which I am currently taking.”
Savings + Security
As we hear time and again from members, it’s not about simply saving money but what it enables them to do.
“Compared to 2 years ago, I’m paying 50% to 60% less for my medications now. This has been a big help from a financial standpoint. It has helped me put more into my HSA and my own pocket. My main goal has been to rack up as much as I can (into my HSA) before I retire. Now I can pay out of my pocket for things I used to put on my (HSA debit) card.”
Knowledge and Empowerment
“I used to always rely on the doctor’s prescription–this is what you have to take. Since Rx Savings Solutions came on, now I know (there can be lower-cost options). When I did the eye drop last time, I printed off the (Savings Notification) email and took it to my appointment. He said (the suggested therapeutic alternative) wouldn’t be a problem.
“This is something that helps me maintain my physical health. From a mental standpoint, it’s good to know I can get my meds at a price I can afford to stay on them.”
Bill tells like it is. No frills, no fanfare, just sharing his story as if he were explaining how he fixed his truck. His situation was all too relatable for many Americans, but the outcome is one that Rx Savings Solutions members achieve every day.
