How to save money on prescriptions: 9 safe ways to pay less

3 min read · 9 steps · Updated 3 October 2026

In the United States the same medicine can cost very different amounts depending on the version, the pharmacy and the way you buy it. Most of the saving comes from a few questions that patients rarely ask, because nobody tells them they can. None of the steps below changes your treatment; they change what you pay for it.

This is general information for readers in the United States, not medical or financial advice. Never stop, skip or change a medicine to save money without speaking to your doctor or pharmacist first.

Step by step

1. Ask for the generic

   A generic contains the same active ingredient as the brand-name drug and is tested by the FDA for quality, strength and purity. The FDA estimates generics cost about 80 to 85 percent less. Tell your doctor you want the most effective drug at the best price and ask for a prescription that lets the pharmacist substitute a generic. Pharmacists can usually substitute unless the doctor rules it out.

   Done

2. Ask about a cheaper equivalent

   If your medicine has no generic yet, ask whether another medicine in the same class treats your condition at a lower price. Doctors call this a therapeutic alternative. It is a different drug, so it is the doctor's decision, but it is a normal question to ask.

   Done

3. Compare pharmacies

   Prices for the same prescription differ from one pharmacy to the next. Phone or check two or three, including a supermarket or warehouse pharmacy, and ask for the cash price as well as the price with your insurance. Sometimes the cash price or a pharmacy discount programme is lower than your copay, and you are allowed to ask.

   Done

4. Ask for a 90-day supply

   For medicines you take long term, a 90-day supply often has a lower copay than three separate months. Many health plans run a mail-order pharmacy for this. Check with your plan first that the service is the one it covers.

   Done

5. Check your plan's drug list

   Every plan has a formulary, a list that sorts medicines into price tiers. Ask your doctor to prescribe from the lower tiers where it makes medical sense, and review the list every year during open enrolment, because plans change it.

   Done

6. Look for a patient assistance programme

   Drug makers run programmes that give free or low-cost medicine to people who have no drug coverage, cannot afford the cost or have used up their plan's allowance. Eligibility depends on income and on what the medicine costs you. The FTC points to the Medicine Assistance Tool at medicineassistancetool.org; MedlinePlus also names NeedyMeds and RxAssist. Using these search tools is free.

   Done

7. Use Medicare's protections if you qualify

   People with Medicare Part D pay no more than 35 dollars a month for each covered insulin, and there is a yearly limit on out-of-pocket drug costs, 2,100 dollars in 2026. If your income is low, ask about Extra Help. Medicare.gov and 1-800-MEDICARE explain what applies to you.

   Done

8. Ask before you split pills

   For some medicines, buying a double-strength tablet and cutting it in half costs less. It is safe only for certain tablets, usually ones with a score line, and harmful for others. MedlinePlus is clear: do not split pills without talking to your provider first, split one tablet at a time and use both halves before cutting the next.

   Done

9. Tell your doctor if you cannot afford it

   Skipping doses or stretching a prescription to make it last can be dangerous and usually costs more in the end. Doctors and pharmacists hear this every day and can switch the drug, the dose form or the pharmacy. Review your full list of medicines with them once a year: sometimes one is no longer needed.

   Done

Good to know

Buy only from a licensed US pharmacy. Websites that sell prescription drugs without a prescription, or at prices far below everyone else, are a known source of fake and unsafe medicine.

The FTC warns about emails, texts and social media messages that promise free or cheap prescriptions and then ask for a fee or tell you to call at once. Real assistance programmes do not charge you to apply.

If you have a health savings account or a flexible spending account, prescriptions are an eligible expense, which means you pay for them with untaxed money.

Related: forgotten subscriptions: how to find and cancel them, how to make a budget and how to haggle a cheaper broadband, mobile or TV deal.

In short: Generic first, then a cheaper equivalent. Compare the cash price at several pharmacies, ask for 90 days and mail order, check the formulary, look for an assistance programme, use the Medicare limits. Never skip doses or split pills without asking.