4 ms·

Last time I had to get a prescription, paying cash with a GoodRX coupon was 25% cheaper than my out of pocket cost with insurance would have been. The mind bog

by fuzxi 6y ago

Last time I had to get a prescription, paying cash with a GoodRX coupon was 25% cheaper than my out of pocket cost with insurance would have been. The mind boggles.

russh 6y ago
When my wife was without insurance we used GoodRX to drop the cost of her Propranolol to just under half of the cash price. Once she was eligible for insurance it was still cheaper to use GoodRX but the pharmacy refused and said she had to use her insurance or pay cash.
- tomrod 6y ago
  How can the pharmacy refuse method of payment?
  - lotsofpulp 6y ago
    GoodRx is not a method of payment. The pharmacy might decide it’s not worth doing business with goodRx for whatever reason, such as insufficient reimbursement or delayed payment. And any business can refuse methods of payment, except cash in certain states and cities.
  - kristopolous 6y ago
    IANAL but from what I've read anyone can refuse any kind of payment prior to the transaction happening, such as $100 bills or being cash only. (https://www.federalreserve.gov/faqs/currency_12772.htm https://www.federalreserve.gov/faqs/currency_12772.htm) I believe it's wide open, you could say only accept gold bars and feral chickens for instance.(https://money.stackexchange.com/questions/77001/can-i-accept-gold https://money.stackexchange.com/questions/77001/can-i-accept...) The argument is that me buying a sandwich for $10 could also be validly viewed as the sandwich shop buying a $10 bill from me with the currency of a sandwich. Thus the method of payment is as subject to variation as the product being exchanged. The robust utility of cash and why this isn't usually done is that I can have two $10 banknotes, one crisp and well preserved and the other ragged, dogeared and blemished but for the sake of the transaction they are both worth exactly $10 without any negotiation. That's a fairly unique property of money, it doesn't lose value with wear and tear or defects. Anyways, when it comes to accepted payments, vendors are given a lot of liberties
    - sjg007 6y ago
      They have to accept all legal tender which is cash. When people have secondary insurance usually you have to bill the primary first and then the secondary picks up the rest. In this case the thing to do is take the prescription to another pharmacy and use GoodRx there without giving them your insurance information. It sounds like this pharmacy acted in bad faith and that would be worth reporting to the pharmacy board.
  - michaelmrose 6y ago
    Not the parent poster but I was told I shit you not "antitrust issues"
  - refurb 6y ago
    Hint: the pharmacy makes more money if they bill through your insurance versus GoodRx
zaphirplane 6y ago
Them rates are cheaper than a motel.

by fuzxi 6y ago

Last time I had to get a prescription, paying cash with a GoodRX coupon was 25% cheaper than my out of pocket cost with insurance would have been. The mind boggles.

russh 6y ago

When my wife was without insurance we used GoodRX to drop the cost of her Propranolol to just under half of the cash price. Once she was eligible for insurance it was still cheaper to use GoodRX but the pharmacy refused and said she had to use her insurance or pay cash.

tomrod 6y ago
How can the pharmacy refuse method of payment?
- lotsofpulp 6y ago
  GoodRx is not a method of payment. The pharmacy might decide it’s not worth doing business with goodRx for whatever reason, such as insufficient reimbursement or delayed payment. And any business can refuse methods of payment, except cash in certain states and cities.
- kristopolous 6y ago
  IANAL but from what I've read anyone can refuse any kind of payment prior to the transaction happening, such as $100 bills or being cash only. (https://www.federalreserve.gov/faqs/currency_12772.htm https://www.federalreserve.gov/faqs/currency_12772.htm) I believe it's wide open, you could say only accept gold bars and feral chickens for instance.(https://money.stackexchange.com/questions/77001/can-i-accept-gold https://money.stackexchange.com/questions/77001/can-i-accept...) The argument is that me buying a sandwich for $10 could also be validly viewed as the sandwich shop buying a $10 bill from me with the currency of a sandwich. Thus the method of payment is as subject to variation as the product being exchanged. The robust utility of cash and why this isn't usually done is that I can have two $10 banknotes, one crisp and well preserved and the other ragged, dogeared and blemished but for the sake of the transaction they are both worth exactly $10 without any negotiation. That's a fairly unique property of money, it doesn't lose value with wear and tear or defects. Anyways, when it comes to accepted payments, vendors are given a lot of liberties
  - sjg007 6y ago
    They have to accept all legal tender which is cash. When people have secondary insurance usually you have to bill the primary first and then the secondary picks up the rest. In this case the thing to do is take the prescription to another pharmacy and use GoodRx there without giving them your insurance information. It sounds like this pharmacy acted in bad faith and that would be worth reporting to the pharmacy board.
- michaelmrose 6y ago
  Not the parent poster but I was told I shit you not "antitrust issues"
- refurb 6y ago
  Hint: the pharmacy makes more money if they bill through your insurance versus GoodRx

zaphirplane 6y ago

Them rates are cheaper than a motel.