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Secrets to spending less on medication

From BlueCross of Idaho
Ready for a pop quiz?

True or false: You may be able to lower the cost of your prescription medications.

True! That's right. There are proven ways to lower how much you spend on your prescriptions. Here's how:

Stay on the formulary. A formulary is a list of drugs – both brand-name and generic – that your healthcare plan considers effective and preferred. Prescription medications that are on your plan's formulary will generally cost you less out of pocket because the plan may only offer coverage for these drugs.

Check if your medication is on the formulary and then talk with your doctor or pharmacist about possible alternatives if it's not. Search the Blue Cross of Idaho prescription drug formulary.

Get generic. Generic medications are unbranded pharmaceutical drugs that meet the same standards for safety, purity, strength and quality as their brand-name counterparts but often cost much less. Ask your doctor or pharmacist about a generic version of any brand-name medication you're taking.

Use your discount. With Blue Cross of Idaho's pharmacy discount, you can save up to 15 percent on brand-name drugs and 40 to 50 percent on generic drugs. The discount program was designed for members who do not have a drug card benefit and members who may or may not have coverage for prescription drugs under the medical portion of their policy. View the list of participating pharmacies or call Express Scripts, Blue Cross of Idaho's pharmacy benefit manager, at (866) 217-2046.

Check out your delivery options. You may be able to pay less for prescriptions by using our prescription drug mail order option.