Pharmacy Tips:
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If you are filling a prescription for generic medication, ask the pharmacist what the cost would be to pay for the medication out of pocket. The co-pay that a pharmacy is required to collect if filling through insurance may be higher than the total cost if paid out of pocket.
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In New York State, the Anti-Mandatory Mail Order Bill was passed in 2011. With a few exceptions, this law makes it illegal for most health insurance plans to force people to use mail order pharmacies for prescriptions through mandates, co-pay penalties, or any other means of influence. (Exemptions are made for union negotiated plans and Medicaid Managed Care Plans.) If you feel that your health insurance company is in violation of this law, you can file a complaint at http://www.dfs.ny.gov/.
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All prescritions in New York State must now be escribed directly to the pharmacy that will be filling the prescription. Hand written prescriptions with refills that were first filled prior to March 27th, 2016 that have more refills may continue to be filled no scripts written after that date shall be held valid unless they were escribed.
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There are large discrepancies in the formularies of different insurance companies. If your copay for a medication is high, consider looking at the formulary for your insurance company and see what tier your medication falls in, then see if there is a lower tier with an equivalent medication. (Depending upon the arrangements your insurance company has with specific manufacturers, it is possible for one brand name to have a smaller copay than another, or even a smaller copay than a generic.)
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When you fill a new prescription, be sure to tell the pharmacist what other medications and/or supplements you are taking. The pharmacist will make sure that the medications you take do not have any adverse interactions.
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