What to Know About the Cost of Prescriptions

In this episode of The Caregiver Café with Roz Jones, Roz is talking about something many seniors and caregivers are feeling at the pharmacy counter: the rising cost of prescription medications.

As aging loved ones begin taking more medications, those costs can add up quickly. One prescription may not seem like much, but when there are several medications involved, the monthly total can become overwhelming for seniors, families, and caregivers trying to manage care on a fixed income.

Roz breaks down practical ways caregivers can help reduce the cost of prescriptions. She talks about asking doctors about generic medications, looking for less expensive brand-name options, using mail-order pharmacy services, reviewing Medicare drug plans during annual enrollment, and checking for state or manufacturer assistance programs.

She also reminds caregivers that medication costs should not be ignored. If a loved one’s prescriptions are becoming too expensive, caregivers can step in as advocates by reviewing the medication list, asking questions, and talking with the doctor, pharmacist, or drug manufacturer about possible savings.

This episode is a practical reminder that caregiving also includes helping loved ones manage the cost of care. Medication is part of health and safety, and when prescriptions become unaffordable, it can affect whether a loved one takes the medicine they need.

Caregivers do not have to accept high prescription costs without asking questions. There may be options, programs, and savings available, but families have to know where to look and who to ask.

Thank you for listening. If this episode encouraged you, supported you, or gave you something to think about as a caregiver, be sure to stay connected with Roz Jones.

Visit Roz online for caregiver resources, blogs, books, speaking information, and support for families navigating the caregiving journey.

Website: www.rozjonesent.com

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Because caregiving is not meant to be carried alone.

Transcript

Intro 0:00

Hey guys, how are you doing today? Can I get you started with something to drink? Is your aging loved one home alone? Forgetting to take medicine or pay bills? The Caregiver Cafe with Roz Jones has a menu of resources to serve your caregiver needs. As a caregiver, Roz understands your daily challenges. This podcast focuses on the unique and dynamic issues of caregiving.

Roz Jones 0:24

Once again, welcome back to uh the Caregiver Cafe. I am Roz Jones. I am the CEO and owner of Jacksonville's Best Caregivers, where we help expand the life of your loved one. Why do I do it? I do it to help the caregiver to reduce that SOS on their journey, which is being stressed, overwhelmed, and providing safety and security. When you can't do it all, you give us a call. Today we are talking about the cost of prescription drugs. What are the um a few ways where you can reduce the cost? And as we know, as seniors begin to age, a lot of times they are taking, I call it the cocktail, honey, of pills. I mean, they're taking everything from, you know, Adavan to Metropolol to Valsartin. I mean, they're taking Earth things. So what are some of the ways that you can possibly save money? So number one, the first one is um to switch to generics. The first one is to switch to generics. So on average, drug costs for generics are about 85% less. Let me say that one morning again. 85% less when you use a generic medicine. So I just wanted to make sure that you know I put that out there. So try to get a generic and find less expensive brand names. Number two, so find try to get a generic, and then if there is, you have to use a brand name. Can we find a brand name that's even less than what we're already using? And then number three, switch to mail order. Mail order can save you so much money. So if you do mail order, sometimes you can get it in bulk. You can get it for 60 days and 90 days, and most of the time it's for 90 days. But at the end of the day, it saves you so much money. And then also, too, number four, find a Medicare plan. So as the annual enrollment comes up and you know that you're taking more medicines, you know that you're going to the doctor more often, look at the Medicare plan that's going to be the best and the most beneficial for you as you go to the doctor more often, as you increase the type of medications, or if you need to take more medication, which one of these drug plans is going to be the best, you know, bang for your buck? What are you going to get for that? So make sure that you look at your drug plan, your annual drug plan, as the annual enrollment comes up every year, which is in uh oh God, is it September, October, all the way through December? So as that time comes up, go back and review what is, you know, have I added on new medication? Have I had a diagnosis change? You know, have I, you know, am I a diabetic now to where last year I wasn't a diabetic? You know, have I had a stroke? Or, you know, these different kinds of things. What's going on to where you would need to change your drug plan? So also to get help from state programs. There are different types of extra uh programs that will help pay for prescription medications. Um I'm gonna give you an example. Public supermarket, if you have high blood pressure, will play will pay for your blood pressure pills for one year with a prescription. So you're able to save, let's say, for instance, if your pills are $20 a month, okay, $20 times 12, that's $240. That's probably for a senior, maybe one or two months worth of groceries. But at the end of the day, it's still money that you have saved. Also, too, you can direct call directly to the manufacturer that is um creating the pills. You can you can contact them and ask them, can they look up some of the drug program assistance programs that either that their company may have or maybe that the state may have that can help them with the program. And sometimes when you contact the manufacturer directly, the company that is creating the pill, the drug manufacturer, they sometimes may send you samples. So there's different ways to help cut that cost. And then number seven, apply for extra help with the programs. And there's low uh the oftentimes senior citizens have programs with the Medicare prescription drug cost, Medicare prescription drug cost. So you need to look into all of those things to help you to be able to reduce the amount of medicine. Now I know this is a lot of things that you have to do, but if you can't do it by yourself, ask the person who you have designated as your care person or if you are advocating for that person, let's take a review of your medicine. Why is it costing let's say five or six hundred dollars, but you can't afford it? And and some people the medicines cost that much. So let's find out how can we can reduce that. So if you as the care uh the caregiver are the advocate, let's take a review of it, go to the doctor and find out how we can reduce this, either through the doctor changing it to a generic, changing it to another brand name that's less expensive, or trying to talk with the manufacturer to see if we can, you know, uh possibly find out about some programs through the state or through the manufacturer. Once again, I am Raj Jones with the Caregiver Cafe. We thank you so much for listening uh to us here, and we hope that you have dined sufficiently on this information. And thank you for letting us take our sips of coffee together at the Caregiver Cafe. I am Ros Jones, the CEO and owner of Jacksonville's best caregivers. When you can't do it all, you give us a call.

Outro 6:11

Until your next visit to the Caregiver Cafe, connect with Roz on YouTube, LinkedIn, and her blog at the CaregiverCafe.net. Caregiver Cafe Podcast specializes in serving those who provide care and support to a sick or aging loved one. I'm the voice guest, but I'm one of you. So when Roz has on experts or frontline workers, I'm listening. We hope you've enjoyed the show. In the meantime, don't forget to connect with Roz on YouTube, LinkedIn, or at the blog at thecaregivercafe.net.