Some prescription drugs are cheaper without insurance

Consumers are increasingly paying more for drugs through health insurance than they would if they found the best deal on their own, according to an article published jointly by The New York Times and ProPublica.

This counterintuitive situation occurs in up to 10 percent of drug transactions, one expert said.

“There’s no chance a consumer can figure it out without help,” Michael Rae, chief executive of Rx Savings Solutions, told The New York Times.

The article presented the example of Patrik Swanljung, who was told by a Walgreens employee a three-month supply of a generic cholesterol drug would cost $83.94 with his Medicare prescription card. When Swanljung went online, he found a startup company offering the same drug for $45.89.

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Daniel joined TriMed’s Chicago editorial team in 2017 as a Cardiovascular Business writer. He previously worked as a writer for daily newspapers in North Dakota and Indiana.

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