Paying for prescription drugs
Consumers need to consider all the angles when choosing and filling prescription drugs.
For example, under many prescription drug coverage insurance plans, a consumer pays a higher co-pay to fill a prescription at a store and a lower one when using mail order.
In addition, plans often have co-pay “tiers.” The first tier is for a generic drug; the second is for a brand-name drug. Sometimes, there are three tiers: The second tier is for preferred brand-name drugs and third for a non-preferred brand-name drugs.
The same drug can cost as little as $6.66 for a 30-day supply or as much as $40, depending on what you buy and where and how you buy it.
Typical fixed-dollar co-payments in tiered drug-coverage plans
Two-tier plans:
Tier 1 30-day retail supply: $10Tier 1 90-day mail order supply: $20
Tier 2 30-day retail supply: $20
Tier 2 90-day mail order supply: $30
Three-tier plans:
Tier 1 30-day retail supply: $10Tier 1 90-day mail-order supply: $25
Tier 2 30-day retail supply: $25
Tier 2 90-day mail-order supply: $50
Tier 3 30-day retail supply: $40
Tier 3 90-day mail-order supply: $80
Source: Medco Health Solutions Inc., 2007 Drug Trend Report
— Shari Roan
