GoodRx was founded in Santa Monica, California in 2011. In 2017, GoodRx announced partnerships with major prescription drug companies in the country to negotiate lower prescription drug costs. In September 2019, GoodRx acquired the telemedicine company HeyDoctor and rebranded the telemedicine platform as GoodRx Care.
The GoodRx Gold membership program gives consumers access to even better healthcare savings, free prescription deliveries, and an exclusive discount card for medications. The card is free and is not insurance. They work directly with pharmaceutical manufacturers and retail pharmacies which allows them to offer lower prices on thousands of prescription medications! GoodRx provides information for consumers on healthy living, disease management, healthcare costs, and ways to save.
In addition to helping patients lower their medication costs, GoodRx enables patients and pharmacies to compare prices and find cost-saving solutions. This helps bring patients to your pharmacy to fill prescriptions they may have otherwise taken elsewhere or left at the pharmacy counter due to costs.
GoodRx takes huge fees from pharmacies in order to capture the uninsured market AND encourages patients not to use their own insurance so they don’t have to pay the pharmacies. Typically, the pharmacies lose money on these transactions. Also, a pharmacy can “red flag” a customer for “doubling up” on pain medication. Law enforcement, prescribers, and pharmacies are all educated and aware of “red flags” or warning indicators. A controlled substance prescription can be filled too soon, at another pharmacy, which is certainly a “red flag.“
GoodRx makes money by selling its technology and ads, as well as through referral fees and a subscription service (its main website and app, with comparative pricing and discounts, are free, though). … About 50% of US physicians advise their patients to consult GoodRx.
Why is GoodRx cheaper than my insurance? Your health insurance helps cover major medical expenses, but the cost of healthcare is rising, and many plans cover less than they used to. Insurance companies use lists of drugs, called formularies, to price different drugs.
GoodRx gathers prices from many places, including partnerships with a number of PBMs. In addition to providing discounted prices for insured customers, the PBMs also include in their negotiations a slightly less-discounted price for cash-paying patients who present with a GoodRx card or coupon.
ADDITIONAL INFO
- GoodRx is free for consumers, and do not require that a person create an account on their website to search for prices and receive discounts.
- You can‘t use GoodRx in conjunction with any federal or state-funded programs like Medicare or Medicaid. … But you can use GoodRx, especially when our prices are better than what Medicare may charge. You just have to be sure you don’t use Medicare to pay at the same time.
- Since most pets are not covered by health insurance, paying in cash, and using a GoodRx coupon can offer huge savings. So, when you get your pet’s prescription, be sure to use GoodRx to shop around.
- You don’t need a prescription to buy these products, but you do need a prescription to receive the GoodRx discount. Healthcare providers often write prescriptions for these products. Just call your doctor’s office and have them call or fax in the prescription to your pharmacy.