Pharmacies and $4 Discount Drugs

[Alpha8472]

It seems like most pharmacies have reduced their discount programs. There used to be many pharmacies such as Kroger and Walmart that offered $4 or $10 drugs on a discount list. However, Kroger and many other chains have stopped that. Walmart used to have a large list, but in recent weeks the list has shrunk to just a few drugs. Many drugs on the discount list have gone up to $24 or more dollars.

Years ago, drugs were much cheaper. Drug companies in the past few years have been increasing drug prices. Even Walmart cannot keep giving away these drugs at a loss.

The pharmacies are not the ones who are inflating the prices. It is the drug companies that make the drugs. They are out of control and only interested in profits. Drug companies do not care if smaller pharmacies get pushed out of business.

There is also the problem of smaller and smaller reimbursements from insurance companies. The pharmacies sign contracts to take insurance plans, but these contracts are negotiated in advance. Drug companies can raise prices every month and by the end of the year the cost of the drugs goes sky high and pharmacies are losing money on many drugs. Customers keep the same co-pay, but the pharmacies are losing money.

The health insurance industry needs reforms, because it is causing many smaller pharmacies such as supermarket pharmacies to run into the red. Many supermarkets are closing down their pharmacies as they are too costly. There are not enough prescriptions to justify the cost of the pharmacy staff. Profits are falling, and some pharmacies are in negative profit due to unused drugs that expire and are a loss.

The government will probably not step in and make any healthcare reform that will save smaller pharmacies. It is difficult enough to have any new healthcare plan put in place.

[storewanderer]

Hy-Vee still has $4 generics.
https://www.hy-vee.com/my-pharmacy/serv ... r-generics

[wnetmacman]

Brookshire Grocery Company still does them as well, especially in their Super 1 Foods stores. I know this more out of personal experience, as I always ask the doctor for meds on their $4 list, and bring the list along.

https://www.super1foods.com/pharmacy-wellness

[storewanderer]

Maybe in some of these regions the $4 generics still work (middle of the US, based on the Brookshire and Hy Vee observation). But nationwide with the wide variety of insurance plans and varying costs in the markets, the larger chains like Kroger and Wal Mart can no longer do blanket $4 generic offers. But Kroger is marketing a prescription savings club which seems to have no fee but just ask and you get it; I think Rite Aid has something similar as well. Then again Rite Aid is not even close to nationwide anymore.

[BillyGr]

Hannaford (NY and parts of New England) still does offer these, though the 30 day is now $5 (the 90 day is still around $10) - no idea how many items are still on the list, though.

Out of the ones I've used, one is higher (around $13 for the 90 days), but a couple others that were in the $10 group now ring up $8.89 or even a bit less, so it pretty much offsets that.