How to save on prescriptions
When it comes to your prescriptions, making smart choices will save you time and money. Here are four easy ways to maximize your pharmacy benefits today.
- To lower costs, ask your provider or pharmacist for generic equivalents.
When you are prescribed a new medication or refill an existing prescription, make sure you are getting the most cost-effective option available to you by asking your provider or pharmacist if there is a generic equivalent. Generic drugs must work in the same way and provide the same clinical benefit as their brand-name counterparts to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Learn how to read your prescription drug formulary so you are better prepared to speak with your provider or pharmacist about your medication options.
- To save time, have your maintenance and specialty prescriptions delivered.
Maintenance medications prescribed to treat chronic health conditions, must be filled by a health system pharmacy. This helps maintain lower deductibles, coinsurance and copays, which means you can get the most cost-effective options for your maintenance prescriptions through the health system pharmacy. Plus, their convenient, free delivery service means you can fill and refill prescriptions electronically, then get them delivered at no additional charge. Effective June 1, 2024, delivery will be required for maintenance medications from the health system pharmacy.
Read more about prescription delivery for maintenance and specialty medications through the health system pharmacy.
- To save money, fill your acute prescriptions at a health system pharmacy.
Acute medications are prescribed to treat short-term symptoms and can be filled by the health system pharmacy, where you will get the most cost-effective options for your prescriptions. Acute prescriptions are also covered at in-network pharmacies, but you will pay a higher copay or coinsurance than you would at a health system pharmacy. Acute prescriptions may be filled at the health system rate at the Medical Park Pharmacy in Great Bend (1309 Polk St., Great Bend, KS, 67530, 620-792-1221).
Read more about prescription pickup for acute medications through the health system pharmacy.
- Ask your provider for a 3-month supply.
Ask your provider to prescribe a 3-month supply of acute or maintenance medications, as appropriate. For Signature Plan members, this will help you save money – you can receive a 3-month supply for the cost of a 2-month supply. For HSA Advantage Plan members, this will help you save time – you won’t have to refill the prescription as frequently. Effective June 1, 2024, maintenance medications will be required to be filled for at least a 90-day supply.
For more information on Signature Plan copays and HSA Advantage Plan coinsurance, refer to the pharmacy benefit charts for acute, maintenance and specialty medications.
