A funny thing happened when picking up a prescription at my local Stop & Shop pharmacy. I asked the pharmacist to compare the price using my health insurance prescription drug plan versus the GoodRx price. GoodRx is a free discount drug service.
He said that GoodRx was less than my insurance. (This has happened before and it raises a whole other issue of how in the world when paying for prescription coverage can their price wind up being more expensive than the price with a free discount card?)
With the GoodRx number I had given the pharmacy years ago, the price came to $8.68.
I was a bit shocked because I had checked the price at the GoodRx website for this particular pharmacy, and it was almost double what the pharmacy actually charged using my old card.
*MOUSE PRINT:
The pharmacist said there was no rhyme or reason for the various prices charged or how it is possible that discount cards can offer better prices than real insurance coverage.
We asked GoodRx how a price using one of their old cards could differ so dramatically from their current website price at the same particular pharmacy. Here is what a spokesperson told us, in relevant part:
There are a few things that may have led to the discrepancy between the price with your prior, physical card and the price you see on our website:
Contracted reimbursement: Some of the prior pricing we distributed under our ‘PBM marketplace’ model, particularly via direct mail, were individually contracted between PBMs and pharmacies. While some of these legacy PBM cards may be accepted at point of sale based on their legacy agreements, and could have lower pricing and margins to retail, we want to make sure both our consumers and retail pharmacies have a sustainable and reliable experience at the counter.
We also checked with NeedyMeds.org, a nonprofit that connects consumers to affordable medication programs. Their president echoed GoodRx’s comments suggesting that the old card may have had a better pricing structure, and that reimbursement rates change online quickly and can vary among processors.
Whatever the reason for the difference, it pays to double-check the price if you have an old GoodRx card laying around or on file at your pharmacy. You could save money.
