What To Do When You Can’t Afford Your Medication

Can’t Afford Your Medication? Here’s What to Do

1 in 7 people forego their medical prescriptions because they can’t afford them, and it’s no wonder.

With prescriptions costing some individuals hundreds of dollars for a single script, many people opt out of the treatment they need simply because it’s not affordable.

Sometimes health insurance will cover the medication, but not always. This can leave you with a huge out of pocket cost or may force you to go without something that you actually need.

In this post, we’ll talk about some of the solutions that may work for you if you can’t afford medication.

Talk to Your Doctor About Alternatives

If your doctor prescribes you something that is far too expensive, talk to him or her about alternative treatments. Usually, there is more than one drug that can treat the same thing, and doctors may try several different drugs before giving you one in particular.

Your doctor will already be familiar with the cost of many of the drugs and may be able to tell you which is cheaper. He or she can start you on the cheapest version of the treatment and see if that can help your problem from the outset.

Appeal to Your Insurance

One reason some people can’t afford medication is that their insurance refuses to cover it. In some cases, you can try and reason with your insurance to get them to cover a particular medication. Your doctor may also be able to help vouch for you to let your insurance know the medicine is medically necessary.

You may also want to speak to your employer about switching insurance policies, or if you’re covered individually, think about switching to a policy that will cover all of your medications.

Ask for Samples

Okay, so a doctor isn’t a spa or bakery that hands out free samples, but sometimes this can work.

Doctors will oftentimes receive free samples of drugs from various companies. They can give them to patients as they see fit. For example, if you need antibiotics, they may be able to give you a sample they have in their office free of charge.

A sample is not a long-term solution, however. So, if you need a drug for longer than a few days, you can use the sample to buy you time until you figure out how to get your medication. If you have been given a sample, and are looking for long term medication coverage, Prescription Hope can help.

Ask for a Prescription Discount Card

Some states have prescription discount cards that will grant you access to cheaper medication. Some are also connected to apps that let you see how much each pharmacy charges for each prescription. You can use this to comparison shop before you decide to drop off the prescription your doctor has written for you.

Some of the cards will also entitle you to a certain percentage off of the price of your medication.

Go On Medicaid

If you’re unable to fund your prescriptions but you need them, one solution is to go on Medicaid. This can help individuals who are low-income or who are disabled. In some states, Medicaid will cover all of your medication, which will allow you to receive the care and medicine you need. This way, you won’t be forced to go without it just to make ends meet.

The process for going on Medicaid can be long and arduous, so if you think you want to go on it, you should begin to process as soon as possible. Ask your doctor for any help that you may need, as they are typically used to working with Medicaid patients.

He or she may give you tips and tricks to help you qualify on your first application.

Get Affordable Name Brand Drugs with Prescription Hope

Prescription Hope is a service that allows you to get access to over 1500 name brand medications for just $50 per prescription. This is ideal if you’re unable to tolerate the generic brand, or no such generic brand of your medication exists.

Regardless of the price of your medication, you’ll only pay $50 per script. This is a fantastic deal for those who can’t afford medication. This is especially true for those whose medication can cost several hundred dollars for just one script.

If you’re interested in enrolling in our program, check out our quick answers to some of the most common questions first.

If you’re ready to start your enrollment immediately, head over to our enrollment page. We’ll get you started and on your way to being able to finally afford all of your prescriptions.