A recent study in The New England Journal of Medicine reported that many Medicare beneficiaries are not getting the best available price on their prescription drugs. While Medicare doesn't cover the cost of prescription drugs, many states have enacted laws that require pharmacists to sell prescription drugs to Medicare recipients for the same cost that Medicaid has negotiated in that state.

Researchers sent Medicare patients to nearly 500 pharmacies in California to determine if the stores were offering the discount as mandated by state law. They found that while three out of four of the drugstores gave the discount, fewer than half offered it without being specifically asked for it. Chain pharmacies were more likely to offer the reduced price than independent pharmacies, as were those in higher-income neighborhoods.

Check with your state health department to see what the law is in your state, and always ask your pharmacy if they offer discounts to Medicare patients. You can't get the discount if you don't show your Medicare card to the pharmacist.

Related information Medications

Source:  Lewis JH, Schonlau M, Munoz JA, et al. Compliance among pharmacies in California with a prescription-drug discount program for Medicare beneficiaries. The New England Journal of Medicine, March 14, 2002;346(11):830-835. (Abs.)