The Cost of Prescription Medications Has Risen by More Than 20% in the Past Year

January 26, 2016 in Current actions, Health insurance, Take action!, Treatments

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Does the ever-spiraling cost of prescription drugs get you down? Do you sometimes have to choose between filling the prescriptions to treat your hypersomnia and paying your other bills? Or maybe you’re taking less than the full dose of your meds to try to stretch out the time between refills….

With the cost of many of our medications, this is not an uncommon situation and you are not alone. A recent study showed that almost 25% of prescriptions are not filled in the United States because people can’t afford their medicines.

Wouldn’t we all like to have a little help to pay for those medications regardless of our financial situations? Thankfully, help is available through a wide variety of organizations, and the Hypersomnia Foundation has been compiling a list. If you have other ideas or recommendations and are willing to share them with other people with hypersomnia, please consider sending your ideas to . We will use this information to create a linked resources page on the website, available to everyone.

NeedyMeds is a national nonprofit organization that provides a free drug discount card that anyone, regardless of income or insurance status, can use to save up to 80% of many drugs at more than 63,000 pharmacies. You can print the card from the website, needymeds.org, or send a self-addressed stamped envelope and $5 to receive a card in the mail. You don’t need to register to download the card, and you can even use it to pay for your pet’s medications bought at a pharmacy. NeedyMeds also provides information about Patient Assistance Programs (PAPs, see the section on PAPs for more information on these programs) and support for other costs related to health care. Additionally, individuals can reach out to helpline counselors directly via email: and phone: 800-503-6897.

Rx Outreach is also a nonprofit organization—an online mailorder pharmacy that can fill prescriptions for more than 600 different drugs. And they do so at a very reduced charge. For example, a 90-day supply of one drug, topiramate—used to treat migraine headaches—cost $382 with a prescription benefit at a local pharmacy; at Rx Outreach, the cost is $35 for the same medication. Enrollment is required and eligibility is restricted to people who meet certain income levels. If you do qualify, you can receive medications from Rx Outreach even if you have Medicare, Medicaid, or other health insurance prescription benefits.

Savings Card Programs

Good RX allows you to simultaneously compare the prices for most medications at multiple pharmacies in your local area. They also offer a printable card or coupons, which can be used in place of your pharmacy benefits card and may greatly reduce your out-of-pocket costs. For example, with the card, that same three-month supply of topiramate is $42.33; the cash price without the card is 10 times that much—$433. Additional contact information includes Email:  and Phone: 888-799-2553. Many other savings cards programs are available. This list is constantly changing, so be sure to double-check that the card you want to use is still available.

Your Online Pharmacy Benefits

Another low-cost route is to fill all of your prescriptions through the online mailorder program of your pharmacy benefits. What might cost $25 at your local pharmacy may be only $10 through your insurance company’s provider of pharmacy benefits. If you’re not already doing so, check your plan to see if you have this benefit available. Again, everything is dependent on your plan.

Many big-box stores such as Walmart, Target, Kroger, and Costco offer $4 generic prescriptions for hundreds of medications. Check around. A few phone calls, clicks of your mouse, or visits to your local pharmacy could literally save you hundreds of dollars.

Patient Assistance Programs

Many pharmaceutical companies have PAPs to help people cover the cost of their prescriptions. The Pharmaceutical and Research and Manufacturers of America provides additional information about these programs and a listing of their members’ programs in a PDF available at https://medicineassistancetool.org/. RX Assist also provides a comprehensive list of PAPs.

We have listed some of the drugs commonly prescribed for central disorders of hypersomnolence and a link to their PAP. If you don’t see your medication on the list, you can always go to the website of the pharmaceutical company that makes your drug and see if they have a PAP or use one of the savings cards programs mentioned previously. Please be aware that these PAPs change frequently, so be sure that you check before counting on a specific program.