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Chapter 7 · April
Her doctor prescribes a brand-name medication for migraines. At the counter, the pharmacist says her share is $240 for a month.
What should she do?
Correct!
Not quite.
Pharmacists see prices all day and can often name a generic or a lower-tier drug in the same class. The doctor can then decide whether a switch is medically reasonable. Dana’s doctor changes the prescription to a generic on her plan’s lowest tier: $12. Walking away without treatment is the costliest option of the three, and not only in money.
More: Same Pill, Two Pharmacies: Why One Price Is $12 and the Other $90