You arrive at the pharmacy expecting to pay your usual $18 copay. Instead, the cashier tells you the prescription will cost $142. Before you walk away, the pharmacist tries a discount card, and suddenly the price drops to $27. If you’ve ever wondered how the exact same medication can have three different prices in less than five minutes, you’re not alone.
America’s prescription drug pricing system isn’t based on a single list price. It’s built on layers of contracts, insurance rules, negotiated discounts, and pharmacy agreements that can change what you pay from one transaction to the next. That said, here is what you need to know about what’s happening behind the scenes (and how you could potentially save some money.
