Sometimes yes, when the medication is on your insurance plan's formulary and has a specified copay amount, and the pharmacy you use is considered in network with your insurance plan.

Sometimes no, when the medication is expensive, or not on your insurance drug plan's formulary.

If your insurance company has not come to a pricing agreement with the pharmacy you want to use, then the pharmacy may be considered "out of network" and have higher costs for all of your medications than what you would pay at an "in network" pharmacy.

Use a cost comparison website like GoodRx.com, where you can enter your zip code and the medication you want. The website will generate a list of pharmacies in your area that have advertised a price for the dose and quantity of the medication you specified in the search bar. You can generally print a coupon from the website that will guarantee a price when you pay with cash and present the coupon.

Look on the back of your insurance card for a "customer service" or "pharmacy" number to call. Usually a representative from your insurance plan can provide you with a list of their preferred and lowest cost pharmacies.

Ask your insurance company if they offer a mail order pharmacy option. You can't walk into the mail order pharmacy, but they often will ship 90 day supplies of your long term medications for the lowest cost you can get anywhere.

If a medication is expensive, ask your local pharmacist what the cash pay price would be and if they have any coupons that could be applied to lower the cost.

Many pharmaceutical companies have assistance programs for their more expensive medications. If your income is around the poverty level, then check the website or otherwise contact the manufacturer of the drug you are interested in to see if you qualify.

No

I've lost count of how many times a patient has told me "the pharmacist said my insurance denied the medicine, so I can't get it."

Just because insurance hasn't agreed to pay for your medication, that doesn't mean you aren't allowed to get it.

If you have a proper prescription for a medication from a licensed doctor in your state, then you may obtain the medication from any pharmacy that carries it, so long as you can afford what the pharmacy charges for it.

A classic example of this problem is the topical pain medication Voltaren gel (generic name diclofenac gel). For many years, it was prescription only, and my patients with commercial insurance could get it from the pharmacy for minimal copay to help with joint pains. However, when they turned 65 years old and switched to a Medicare plan, it would cost over $100 a month. Thanks to the good Rx website, many of those patients could print out a coupon and get it for less than $30 a month without using their insurance plan for it. It is now available over the counter without a prescription.

Believe it or not, sometimes you can get the same medication for a lower cash pay price at certain pharmacies than what you would pay after charging it to insurance.

It is not unusual for bulk discount stores like Sam's Club or Costco to have lower cash pay prices for medicines than what you would pay even after insurance at some chain pharmacies.

So if your medications are stretching your budget, then shop around for the least expensive pharmacy using price comparison resources like GoodRx.com