They probably don't give much notice to the high price of prescription drugs. But most seniors, who typically use 25 to 30 drugs per year, and many low-income wage earners who aren't insured for any health care service such as drugs, hospitalization or physician 's care, aren't as fortunate. Prescriptions are not covered by Medicare, so unless seniors have insurance through employers after retirement, they probably pay out of pocket.
Consumers paying out of pocket have a number of ways to save money.
But don't expect pharmacies or doctors to discover all of them for you. Once a year, put all of your drugs, nutritional supplements, health foods, vitamin and mineral supplements in a bag and ask your pharmacist and physician to review them and suggest less expensive alternatives. Consumer Reports says that such a review often finds that some drugs are no longer necessary. Questions to ask Consumer Reports and local experts recommend asking the following questions to save money on prescriptions. Asking a doctor to prescribe a less expensive drug may not come easily for some patients, said Stephen Schondelmeyer of Prime Institute, a research center at the University of Minnesota that studies the pharmaceutical market.