Prescription discount cards enable you to obtain significant savings on prescription drugs.
Most of the best prescription discount cards are honored by pharmacies nationwide.
For the 28 millions Americans with little or no insurance prescription discount cards can be, in some cases, a life saver.
Our health and wellness experts have assembled the following list of the most important benefits of prescription discount cards.
9 Benefits Of Prescription Discount Cards
If you are underinsured or uninsured consider the benefits of carrying prescription discount cards.
1: Prescription discount cards let you save money.
Whether you’re a senior on a fixed income or a parent having trouble paying for your child’s medications, a prescription discount card can save you money. Many discount cards allow anyone to use them, not just seniors. This helps ensure that everyone can obtain the medications they need to recover from illness or injury. Not just the well-to-do. With the cost of medications skyrocketing (1) and no end in sight prescription discount cards can provide a necessary counterbalance.
2: Prescription discount cards allow those without insurance to obtain vital medication.
About 8.5% of Americans are currently uninsured (2). That amounts to some 27.5 million people. Just like the rest of us, these people get sick, are disabled, or are involved in accidents and need medical care, including medications. Prescription discount cards provide a way for these folks to obtain the medicines vital to their health and well-being. Without these cards, many of the uninsured would have no way to care for themselves or their family members.
3: Prescription discount cards enable you to fill all your prescriptions.
There are a lot of disturbing stories and trends when it comes to healthcare these days. But one of the most disturbing is that adults in increasing numbers are not filling prescriptions simply because they can’t afford to (3). Not being able to fill a prescription can be a huge deal for the average adult. But when seniors are involved, it often becomes a life or death issue. Researchers have discovered that seniors between 50 and 65 for instance are cutting back on potentially life-saving heart medications (4). Prescription discount cards make it possible for these folks to afford all their medications.
4: Prescription discount cards enable seniors to live longer lives.
Prescription discount cards provide unfettered access to necessary medications for everyone. But seniors in particular. And having access to necessary medications can make a quantifiable difference in the life expectancy of the average person. That’s because medications help a person maintain good health. Research indicates that there is nearly a 12 year difference in the life expectancy of well-to-do individuals and poor individuals in America (5). That is in large part because wealthy people get the medications they need when they need them. Prescription discount cards can help level the playing field and close that appalling life expectancy gap.
5: Prescription discount cards relieve seniors of a major source of stress.
Seniors need increased access to all aspects of healthcare, including access to necessary medications. But for those living on fixed incomes, worrying about whether they’ll be able to afford necessary medications becomes a major source of stress. Stress is known to aggravate health concerns. It can also generate an array of new problems (6) that just make everything worse, including heart problems, digestive issues and more. Knowing they’ll be able to obtain the medications they need can go a long way toward eliminating this unwanted stress.
6: Prescription discount cards leave money for other things.
If you take the time to investigate the issue you find the amount of money seniors are spending on medications these days is staggering (7). There’s really no other word for it. Some are spending $10,000 a year out of their own pocket on meds. And a half million senior Americans are each spending upwards of $50,000 a year. While most people don’t spend that much, the fact is the cost of medications is impeding the quality of life for many seniors. Sure, they feel better when they get the medications they need. But they can’t do other things like travel or even go out to dinner because medications are consuming all their available income. Prescription drug cards can reverse that trend.
7: Prescription discount cards typically have no expiration date.
They are not ‘limited time offers’ or only valid until you reach a certain age. They are valid as long as the organization running the program continues to operate. And with the need for relief from high medication costs becoming more acute by the year, it’s reasonable to assume such programs are not going anywhere anytime soon.
8: Prescription discount cards can be used by other members of the family.
This is not the case with every prescription discount card. But there are quite a few that allow any adult member of the family to walk into a participating pharmacy and claim a discount. This is important for one big reason: seniors aren’t the only ones dealing with high drug prices. Medicare provides some relief for those over 65. But those 50 to 65 exist in a kind of pricing limbo and are often in desperate need of some relief. Also, without help, parents whose children need expensive treatments and medications are often financially overwhelmed, even if they have insurance (8).
9: Prescription discount cards make for stronger communities.
Let’s face it. We’re all better off when we’re all properly taken care of. If there’s a segment of the population that’s receiving inadequate healthcare, that’s a drag on the whole community. Because those unable to afford prescriptions get sick like everyone else. If they are unable to get the medications they need, they suffer, and their families suffer. Also, when they finally show up in the emergency room, they are sicker than they would have been had they had access to medication earlier. They also require more intense – and expensive – care. Someone has to pay for that (9).
Conclusion
With the cost of most medications going through the roof prescription discount cards are a great way to save money. They help people who are underinsured or uninsured obtain the medications they need, they ensure you have money for other important things, they do not expire and they can help many seniors live longer healthier lives.