Retail
PHARMACY
The
neighborhood pharmacy program assures members the lowest price on prescription
drugs, saving 10% to 60% on most prescriptions.
It's simple
to use. The member simply presents the membership card to the pharmacist with
the prescription. The pharmacist calculates the discount and the member pays the
discounted price. No other forms required.
Highlights
- 10% to 60% savings on most medications.
- Over
56,000 national and regional pharmacy chains participate as well as independent
pharmacies.
- No pharmacy program is complete unless it
includes both retail locations where members may fill acute care medications and
a mail order program so members may optimize their savings by purchasing maintenance
prescriptions in 90 day supplies to treat ongoing ailments.
- Do
not call the pharmacy for price quotes. Prices may change from day to day and
they cannot be given over the telephone.
*Pharmacy
Discounts are Not Insurance and are Not Intended as a Substitute for Insurance.
Savings
Examples - Brand Name Drugs
|
Drug |
Strength/Quantity |
Retail
Price |
Discounted
Price |
Percentage
Savings |
|
Vicodin |
5MG-500MG, 40 qty |
$17.52
|
$11.01
|
37% |
|
HCTZ |
25MG, 30 qty |
$8.51
|
$6.53
|
23% |
|
Amoxicillin |
500MG, 21 qty |
$14.00
|
$10.24
|
27% |
|
Glucophage |
500MG, 60 qty |
$23.76
|
$13.32
|
44% |
|
Zithromax |
250MG, 6 qty |
$48.45
|
$30.36
|
37% |
|
Xanax |
0.5MG, 60 qty |
$19.78
|
$11.49
|
42% |
|
Bactrim DS |
800-160MG, 20 qty |
$14.08
|
$11.72
|
17% |
|
Darvocet |
100-650MG, 45 qty |
$23.31
|
$14.15
|
39% |
|
Soma |
350MG, 60 qty |
$37.80
|
$17.96
|
52% |
|
Zestril |
20MG, 30 qty |
$17.18
|
$11.49
|
33% |
*Prices
are subject to change without notice and may vary by region.
Payment
must be made at the time of service in order to receive a discount.
Frequently
Asked Questions
Q. I'm a member and called the Mail
Order Pharmacy to get a price quote on my maintenance drugs. The price quote was
higher than my old pharmacy. What should I do?
A.When you call the Mail
Order Pharmacy to get a price quote, be sure to tell the representative where
you found it for less. If the quotation you are given does not beat the price
you are currently paying by at least $5.00, the operator will verify the price
being charged at your local pharmacy and beat it by $5.00. This outstanding price
guarantee is effective for all brand or generic drugs priced over $10.00.
*The
$5.00 guaranteed savings cannot be used in conjunction with other discount or
insurance cards.
Payment
must be made at the time of service in order to receive a discount
- Q.
What can I expect to save with this membership?
A. Prices will always
vary on prescription drugs and therefore it is impossible to estimate specific
dollar savings through any non-insured drug program. Your membership offers two
avenues for drug purchases: The Neighborhood Pharmacy program offers 10% to 60%
discounts on acute care medications and the Mail Order Pharmacy guarantees an
average of 10% off AARP's prices. Should you receive a quote anywhere else for
less than our mail order pharmacy, we will beat it by a minimum of $5.00 on brand
name and generic medications priced at $10.00 or more with no postage or dispensing
fees added. Savings can not be used in conjunction with other discount or insurance
cards.
- Q.
Do I get a discount on every single drug at the neighborhood pharmacy when I use
my Membership card?
A. Not necessarily. Drug stores, like hardware and
grocery stores determine their own pricing structures. Due to large discounts
from manufacturers, some drugs may already be priced at or below the PBM's discount
price. However, as a general rule, you can expect that 80% to 90% of your required,
acute care prescription needs will be discounted below the stores usual retail
price. The PBM network pharmacies have agreed to sell prescription drugs at the
contract price, or their "usual retail price" whichever is lower.
- Q.
Why didn't I save any money at the participating local drugstore?
A. More
than likely, you ordered a long-term maintenance medication versus a short-term
acute care medication such as an antibiotic or pain-killer. Most pharmacies use
long-term, maintenance medications as "loss leaders" and price these
drugs at or below cost. They do this so that their customers will assume that
all their prices are low. It's a marketing strategy. The pharmacy realizes that
for long-term medications, you'll shop around in order to get the best price for
a medication that you may be taking for the rest of your life. As the consumer,
you are led to believe that this pharmacy has low prices on all their prescription
drugs and other items. Our pharmacy program has contracted with independent and
chain pharmacies nationwide to offer you a discounted price that will normally
save you 10% to 76% on short term medications. However, in order to draw customers,
many pharmacies opt to price their prescriptions lower than the contracted price.
In this case the member gets the lower of the two. Normally, they use high profile
maintenance drugs for these "loss leader" price reductions such as Prozac,
Zantac, and Premarin. In order to guarantee members a savings, we established
a mail order pharmacy program which absolutely, positively guarantees to beat
any price quoted elsewhere by a minimum of $5.00 with no dispensing or postage
fees added provided the brand or generic price exceeds $10.00.
- Q.
What if the Pharmacist doesn't recognize the card's name?
A. Always
make inquiries in person and be sure to bring your card with you. When the pharmacist
sees the Pharmacy Benefit Manager information on the card, the pharmacist then
understands which program you are on.
- Q.
Is this a co-pay insurance card?
A. No. A co-pay card is an insured
product where the customer pays a preset amount and the insurance company pays
the remainder. This membership is a discount card offering reduced prices. You
are responsible to pay the pharmacy 100% of the discounted price.
