How do prescription cost-saving programs work?

MINNEAPOLIS — Rising prescription drug prices can be tough to swallow, but apps and websites can help lower your pharmacy bill. 
Shayne Chamberlin’s monthly prescription went from $210 to $37. She credits GoodRx.
“It saved me $300 this year alone,” Chamberlin said. “I know how insane health care prices are as someone who works in health care and as someone who receives a lot of it, so just trying to share any and all resources available is really important to me.”
GoodRx is just one of a growing list of companies offering discounts on medications.
By enrolling in the program, you can search for drugs, compare prices and then bring the discount to a participating pharmacy near you.
“You can get a discount on the out-of-pocket cost depending on your insurance, depending on your drug, depending on, depending on,” Matt Anderson, senior lecturer in health policy and management at the University of Minnesota, said. “There’s a lot of qualifications around if it’s actually going to give you a discount and how much a discount. It is more helpful for the uninsured because they are paying for more out-of-pocket.”
Anderson says there are pros and cons. You can save money, it’s easy to compare costs and often free to sign up.
“We work with everybody,” GoodRx co-founder Doug Hirsch said. “We work with pharmacies, we work with insurance companies, we work with doctors, really trying to act on behalf of the patient to find these savings for consumers.”
But not every pharmacy or insurance plan allows the discounts. The cheaper prices may not last long term and marketers may get your personal information.
“When your name and information and whatever, just like any other business, they can use that information for marketing. They can sell your information, so recognizing they can sell your own data,” Anderson said.
Anderson says to really get the best deal, you would need to compare the cost of the drug out-of-pocket with insurance, the generic alternative and the discount program price.
“Being able to figure all those things requires quite a bit of self-advocacy from the consumer to really know are you getting a deal,” he said.
Another thing to keep in mind is that discounts usually are not allowed if you are insured under Medicare or Medicaid.