How Do Prescription Discount Cards Work?
Today's prescription drug prices can be staggering. We get it. So, what are these prescription discount cards you keep hearing about? How do they work? And can you trust them? These are just some of the questions our ScriptSave® WellRx Customer Care team answers every day. We hope this information will help you better understand how discount drug cards work and if they are right for you.
What are prescription discount cards?
Prescription discount cards are designed to provide lower drug costs to patients paying for their medications in cash. There is no cost to use these cards, and they are available to you whether you have health insurance or not. Sound too good to be true? It's not.
Here is how pharmacy discount cards work:
Savings programs like ScriptSave WellRx negotiate discounts on bulk drug purchases with pharmacy owners. Consumers can then access lower medication prices at nearby pharmacies by using a free card or mobile app provided by the Rx savings program.
When you use the drug card to fill your prescriptions, the pharmacy compensates the discount program. In some regards, it can be thought of as a referral fee, paid by the pharmacy to the discount program. Pharmacies not only benefit from the additional items that customers usually purchase when visiting the store but, in addition, many of the patients using a cash savings card are uninsured and would otherwise not be filling their prescription. Without the Rx savings program, these potential customer visits to the pharmacy would have been abandoned before they happened, resulting in the loss of both the prescription and the foot-traffic through the store.
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Are Rx savings programs really free?
Most programs, including ScriptSave WellRx, are completely free for consumers to use at the pharmacy. We encourage all patients (regardless of their insurance status) to compare prescription prices online before filling their medication. Prescription prices can vary greatly from one pharmacy to the next, so tools like the ScriptSave WellRx fast, easy, free price-checker can really help find the lowest Rx prices in a zip code.
If you have health insurance, be sure to compare your copay cost to the discounted rate available through the prescription savings program so you can be sure you’re getting the best price possible.
How do I use a pharmacy discount card?
The process may vary slightly from one savings program to another, but the typical steps to receive discount prescriptions include the following:
- Download your free Rx savings card.
- Choose a local pharmacy with the lowest prescription price.
- Show your savings card to the pharmacist when picking up your medication.
- Pay the discounted rate.
It's that easy. Instant savings at the pharmacy counter on brand-name and generic prescription drugs. Use the card to save on medications for the entire family, too. You could save hundreds of dollars each year!
If you need assistance affording your Rx drugs, try using a free ScriptSave WellRx card or downloading our pharmacy savings app the next time you fill or refill a prescription.
Are drug discount programs a scam? Can I trust ScriptSave WellRx?
There are a lot of companies in the discount prescription space, and the offer to help save on medication costs can sound too good to be true. So, who can you trust? Are the pharmacy savings legitimate? There’s a lot of information out there.
The truth is, prescription savings providers are only compensated by the pharmacy when you fill a prescription using their card. You save money, and the pharmacy benefits from your business.
ScriptSave WellRx is brought to you by Medical Security Card Company, LLC; the trusted prescription discount leader at more than 65,000 pharmacies nationwide for more than 20 years.
We are verified by National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP). The NABP verified registry creates a safe space for consumers to feel confident that the websites they are visiting are trustworthy. View our online verification here.
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About ScriptSave WellRx
ScriptSave® WellRx is brought to you by Medical Security Card Company, LLC (MSC). For more than 20 years, we have delivered substantial savings* on prescription medicines at participating pharmacies, nationwide.
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