Choice Drug Card Review

Should I Use a Choice Drug Discount Card?

Thirty percent of Americans say their out-of-pocket costs for their prescription medications have increased in the past year.2 When it comes to the financial burden of drug costs, older adults are majorly impacted, since 90 percent of Americans over the age of 65 regularly take one or more prescription medications.3

To make ends meet, some seniors report rationing their meds or skimping on buying food, which can worsen their health in the long run. Using the Choice Drug Card can relieve some of the financial burden by saving seniors money and helping them find a pharmacy with the best price for their prescription medication.

How Does the Choice Drug Card Work?

You can think of a prescription discount card like a coupon for your medication. Who doesn't love taking advantage of a great coupon? Prescription discount companies, like Choice Drug Card, negotiate a lower bulk prescription drug price with pharmacies to benefit seniors like you. The card is accepted at 70,000 locations across the country, so, most likely, there is a pharmacy near you that accepts the discount card.

Small, independently owned pharmacies may accept the Choice Drug Card, as well as major players like:

• CVS
• Walgreens
• Rite Aid
• Walmart
• Target

Seniors who can benefit from using a Choice Drug Card include:

• Those who are uninsured
• Those who have insurance or Medicare but whose
• medication is not covered
• Those who fall into the doughnut hole of their Medicare Part D plan
• Those who have high deductibles or high copays
  Those who have pets on prescription medication

How to Get a Choice Drug Card

Choice Drug Card makes it easy for seniors, whether or not they are computer savvy, to receive a free discount card and start saving. Plus, they don't ask any personal questions, which I appreciated. These days you can never be too careful when it comes to sharing info online! Seniors have three options to receive their Choice Drug Card: email, text, or printing a hard copy. I tried the email route so I could use the email app on my smartphone to show the card at the pharmacy checkout. Plus, I wouldn't have to worry about losing a physical card since my phone is always with me! I'll walk you through how to get your Choice Drug Card below.

Getting Your Choice Drug Card by Email

1. I visited the Choice Drug Card homepage and clicked “Email A Card” at the top.
   

   Choice Drug Card – Click “Email a Card”

2. Next, I typed my email address and clicked “Email Card.”
   

   Choice Drug Card – Enter your email address

3. It took about a minute for me to receive the card via email. I opened the email on my smartphone and was able to instantly view the discount card.
   

   Choice Drug Card – Getting your card on a phone

Getting Your Choice Drug Card by Text Message

1. If you'd prefer to receive your discount card by text, simply click “Text a Card” at the top of the homepage.
   

   Choice Drug Card – Click “Text a Card”

2. Scroll down, enter your phone number, and then click “Text Card.”
   

   Choice Drug Card – Submit your phone number

How to Print Your Choice Drug Card

1. If you don't have a smartphone, or you'd just prefer to have a physical card in your wallet, you can print it. To print, click “Print a Card.”
   

   Choice Drug Card – Click “Print a Card”

2. Scroll down and click “PDF Download.”
   

   Choice Drug Card – Download the PDF

3. Once it is downloaded, open the PDF and print it.

Find and Purchase Your Medication Using a Choice Drug Card

Before heading to the pharmacy to use the Choice Drug Card, you'll want to use the Choice Drug Card website to find the nearest pharmacy with the best discounted price. I used the website to do a quick search on two popular prescription drugs: Xanax and Novolog 70/30. Xanax is often prescribed to seniors to treat symptoms of anxiety, while Novolog is a type of insulin used by diabetics. Novolog isn't usually covered by Medicare and insurance plans, so the 88 percent discount provided by Choice Drug Card is certainly impressive!

Note that Choice Drug Card will automatically recommend the generic versions of these drugs to get you the best deal. Here are the results of my search.

Brand name drug	Generic name drug	Retail cost of generic name drug	Price with Choice Drug Card discount	Pharmacy	Percent savings
Xanax	Alprazolam (.5mg/60 tablets)	$33.18	$9.16	ABC Pharmacy	62%
Novolog 70/30	Insulin Aspart 70/30	$184.57	$21.81	Robertson Center Pharmacy	88%

Search For Your Medication

Here's how to search for your medications using the Choice Drug Card Website:

1. Click “Search Prices & Pharmacies” on the homepage.
   

   Choice Drug Card – Click “Search Prices – Pharmacies”

2. Type in your medication and ZIP code and click “Find Prices.”
   

   Choice Drug Card – Type in your medication and ZIP code

3. Scroll to compare prices at pharmacies near you.
   

   Choice Drug Card – Type in your prescription

4. Once you find the pharmacy you'd like to use, click to view the address, map, and phone number.
   

   Choice Drug Card – Click the pharmacy to view info

5. Head to the pharmacy to pick up your prescription. At the register, show the attendant your Choice Drug Card to receive the discount!

In Conclusion

Over 75 percent of older adults agree that the price of prescription medications is unreasonable.4 In response, Choice Drug Card is making it easier for older adults to afford their medications and maintain their health. Though Choice Drug Card lacks a mobile app like other companies, such as GoodRx and WellRx, the savings on prescription drugs is just as good. As long as you're comfortable hopping on your computer to do a quick search, you won't miss the mobile app.