Tips to Cut Medication Costs

The Doctors share the staggering statistic that more than 2 million people skip their heart medications due to the cost and being unable to afford them.

Watch: Rising Costs of EpiPens Have Some People Making Their Own

In hopes of helping our viewers cut their costs at the pharmacy, we are joined by pharmacist Mona Vand to share ways to save money on your medications. Her tips include:

• Find out if your medication is really not covered or if it needs a prior authorization  
• If a prior authorization is needed, consider using a specialty pharmacy which can easily handle these types meds, and she says the medication can even be mailed to you if needed
• Look into the generic option for your medication, she notes the active ingredients are the same in generic meds and will cost much less
• Ask your doctor to write a prescription for the double the strength and use a pill cutter to get double the amount for the cost
• Seek out online coupon codes for medications not covered or look for drug reps in your area, who may have incentives available

Watch: New Law for Clear-Cut Hospital Costs?

Find out more from Mona about brand name vs. generic medications in the video below.