Good Rx Website Helps Consumers Save Big On Prescription Meds

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - A simple conversation with her doctor ended up being a huge tip for Annie Federoff.

"I was telling him the one day how expensive some of my prescriptions are, and they're just not covered by my insurance," says Annie. "There's one prescription I get filled every month that runs $170."

He told her about the Good Rx website, which helped a patient of his find a backordered prescription cream that would have cost $400 $500 for much, much less.

"By using the website, they were able to get the medicine for $23," says Dr. Brian Horvath of Horvath Dermatology.

You type in your prescription and your zip code, and it will tell you how much it would cost out-of-pocket at local retailers like Target, Giant Eagle, Walgreens, CVS, and Rite Aid and it offers you a coupon.

"The lowest was about $74.95, I think. Then, it goes up to almost what I was paying, like just a few dollars off. So, pretty big range," says Annie.

Using the coupon, Annie saved big.

"It was very easy. I just walked in and when he gave me the regular total that it normally is, I told him I had the coupon from Good Rx and it was really easy to use. He honored it pretty quickly actually," says Annie. "I saved $100."

For people on medicines insurance doesn't cover, such as non-formulary drugs, or for people with high deductibles, it can be a huge benefit.

"You use Good Rx in place of your insurance, but what's amazing is that often times Good Rx can find you prices that are lower than your insurance," says Doug Hirsch, founder of the website. "There are certain relationships coupon providers have with pharmacies. We also have multiple coupon providers in our database. So, what we do is sift through all the coupons that are out there and say this is the best price."

Payments from pharmacies and advertising keep the website, founded in 2011, going.

"We do research on the Internet for everything else, whether they be plane tickets or cars, or whatever. What if we could do the same thing for prescription drugs?" says Hirsch. "I never thought I'd spend my life thinking about prescription drugs, but having stumbled onto this, and seeing how many people we can help, I mean such dramatic savings for every member of your family, it's the greatest job ever."

One drawback, due to licensing requirements, the website does not include all pharmacies.

"Good Rx does not really work for local pharmacies, mom and pop type of pharmacies, like Asti's, or Lebanon Shops, or local chains like Medicine Shoppe or Spartan," says Dr. Horvath. "It's amazing to me how little we know about the cost of medicines. It can vary so much from pharmacy to pharmacy."

"It's exciting," says Annie. "I didn't know anything like this existed. So, I'm definitely going to be using it in the future."

You May Also Be Interested In These Latest News Stories

Join The Conversation On The KDKA Facebook Page
Stay Up To Date, Follow KDKA On Twitter