Prescription Discount Cards:
USA Rx & Needy Meds

For the uninsured or underinsured who are ineligible for MassHealth or Prescription Advantage there are some discount programs that might help with prescription drug costs.

USA Rx

USA Rx, administered by HealthTrans, is a discount card that can be used at participating pharmacies for discounts of between 10% and 85% off retail prices for drugs and health supplies (such as smoking cessation aids and diabetes supplies). The exact discount varies, but members can look up the price and participating pharmacies online prior to going to the pharmacy. The website also claims to list lower-cost alternatives where applicable.

This is not an insurance plan, and there are no membership costs to use the card. How it works behind the scenes and who pays is complex . Here’s the money trail: pharmacies pay a pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) to be listed in the network (in this case USA Rx- but there are others). The PBM brokers a discounted price with the stores. The store is counting on this program driving consumers to their site and is willing to offer a loss-leader in the hope that the cosnumer will make additional purchases. The PBM then sends a payment to National Benefits Builders, Inc. (NBBI). Then a card distributor purchases cards and distributes them widely. This distributor then gets paid from NBBI every time the card is used to fill a prescription (as of April 1, 2010 75 cents per filled prescription).

Free membership cards are available by request from the Community Resource Center’s Dorienne Rosenberg (x4-0295).

NeedyMeds

Needymeds.org is a non-profit organization with the mission of helping people who cannot afford medicine or health care costs. Their website provides information about government run programs (federal and state), pharmaceutical company patient assistance programs, discount cards and coupons. They also have their own discount card, profits from which strengthen and support their services. More information or download a card at www.needymeds.org.

As noted above, their website includes frequently asked questions about using discount cards, including these:

Q: Will the discount card always give me the lowest price?
A: You may pay more for some brand name medicine, even with a discount, than you would pay for the generic version or you may find the medicine for a lower cost at a different pharmacy.

Q: Will all my medicines be discounted?
A: Not necessarily. This is a consideration if you are paying a fee. Contact the program to see what medicine is available before making a payment.

More Resources

For more information on a variety of prescription drug assistance programs, also see our website, www.mghsocialwork.org > Staff Access > Prescription Drug Coverage or Medications/Prescription Drug Coverage.

 

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