Posted on 08/02/2012 3:44:39 PM PDT by bcsco
My wife received a solicitation today from Healthcare Alliance out of Washington, DC. I had two pre-approved cards, and claims they can be used immediately to receive up to 75% off on prescriptions. It claims they're "ABSOLUTELY FREE Pharmacy Savings cards", and "There are no fees to use these cards, and you will never be charged for them".
I get those in the mail occasionally.
Read the fine print and check with your pharmacy.
Did you google it?
Careful!
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/off-topic/3051177-scam-healthcare-alliance-discount-cards.html
MedChi, the medical association of Maryland, provides these cards free. They are not insurance cards; they just give a discount at participating pharmacies. They are legit. Not sure about yours, but it’s probably the same thing. There’s no doubt a website you can go to in order to compare prices—we have such a site for Maryland patients, only a few miles from you.
Your link doesn’t show that the cards are a scam, only that they didn’t create a big enough discount compared to the poster’s insurance price.
As a Pharmacist, these cards will save you exactly what you paid for them “0”, most of the time the pharmacys cash price will be less than this discount card will be.....in fact it probably says this is a discount card it is not an insurance card...Find you an independent pharmacy that has a $4 or $5.00 list for a months supply of generics.and do business with them..they honor all insurance plans and most of the time they will honor online coupons for RX only drugs
Yep. And I came up with this which gave me concern (scroll down to the Drug Discount Cards section. Also, I had other hits of people questioning these cards, so I decided to ask FReepers if any on our forum had any experience with them.
My major issue is, how does the drug company recoup the difference after the discount? Not that I'm in love with drug companies, per se, but the idea of free cards offering major discounts seems pretty scammy to me.
I get my medications through the VA. The only instance I’ve encountered was recent, where my eye care doctor prescribed a drop that was $80 with no insurance. I’m waiting for my VA visit later this month to see if I can get it from them. That’s why these got my interest. But anytime something is given out for nothing, I want facts, not marketing.
What's wrong with the drug companies?
At any rate, this is probably a private initiative that gives pharmacies the "opportunity" to discount their products. Nothing to be worried about -- nothing to depend on, either.
As rxtn41 said, go to a pharmacy that sells generics for $4 or $5. We have insurance that pays pretty good on scripts, but the generics are cheaper than the copays, so we only use insurance on two brand name scripts out of 14 meds that we buy each month. Brand name drugs that are expensive often have discount coupons to help with the cost. They are available from your doctor or online at the drug maker’s site.
My wife buys medications through her insurance, I haven’t bought medications from a retail pharmacy in years. I have this one eye prescription that the doctor said was “Like Benadryl for the eye”, but I’m not sure exactly what it would accomplish.
I have an “itch” in the outer side of my left eye, that comes about when I read (my Kindle). He examined the eye, and found a little irritation but nothing more. My issue with the prescription is, I’ve taken Benadryl before when I’ve had an itchy rash, another med to treat the rash. But once the rash goes away so does the need to take Benadryl. If this prescription is to prevent the itch, what’s going to take away the underlying condition so I don’t have to use the medication again? OTC eye drops only give short term relief.
I think I’ll pass on these cards. It just doesn’t seem to be more than a marketing ploy. Thanks for all the input.
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