Nobody likes taking pills, but paying for them can be the hardest part to swallow. According to Health System Tracker, an organization run by Peterson Center on Healthcare and the Kaiser Family Foundation to track the wellbeing of the U.S. health system, branded drug prices almost doubled between 2008 and 2016. Factors such as a rise in expensive new drug brands contribute to high out-of-pocket prescription costs, which are predicted to rise over the next 7 years.
Why are prescription drug costs so high?
Generic prices have lowered, but branded medications in 2016 were almost twice the cost they were in 2008. Although 86% of the people Kaiser surveyed thought there should be legislation requiring pharmaceutical companies to release their pricing methods, there’s no guarantee that we will ever know how prices get so high.
These price increases are bad for everyone, but especially so for people suffering from medical debt. Piling the cost of medications on top of debt from expensive medical procedures is not a good treatment for people’s finances. In fact, the Kaiser survey also found approximately one in four people have trouble affording for prescription drugs. So, how can you cash in on prescription discounts?
As it so happens, there’s an app for that. Several, actually. Debt.com decided to review the top prescription drug discount apps, including GoodRx, Blink Health, and WellRx. These applications were developed with the need for discount prescriptions in mind.
Tips for Saving Money on Prescription Drugs
Before you look through our reviews, check out some of these basic rules for saving on medications:
8 Tips for Saving Money on Prescription Drugs
Prescription Discount Apps Compared
Dealing with health insurance can be difficult, and so can choosing the right app to help you save even more on your meds. To help you out, we created this handy chart comparing our top 3 apps for prescription discounts. Looking for more detail? Read more about each app under the chart.
| Mobile App | Sign-In Required for Discounts | Physical Savings Card Available | Medication Manager | Home Delivery Option | Paid Premium Membership Option | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blink Health | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | No |
| GoodRx | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | GoodRx Gold |
| WellRx | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | No |
GoodRx is helping American families save hundreds
This prescription discount app claims to save Americans up to 80 percent on their medications. Medical debt is a real issue, and this could help keep your costs down. To use their lower prices, you don’t even need to sign up. They also have a premium membership that can help you save even more on prescriptions and other needs.
Find out what we think of GoodRx »
Discount Prescription Prices with Blink Health
Blink Health is another prescription drug discount app that provides coupons and savings cards to help you pay less for the medications you need.
Learn how Blink Health works »
Reduce Prescription Drug Costs with WellRx
The ScriptSave WellRx app enables you to do everything from comparing prescription costs at different pharmacies to keeping track of when you take your medications.
