KANSAS CITY, Mo. - An NBC Action News investigation uncovered price differences at metro pharmacies that could save you hundreds of dollars.
We called ten metro pharmacies, asking for cash prices on prescriptions for seven common prescription drugs.
We checked:
Plavix,
Levoxyl,
Detrol,
alendronate,
gabapentin,
fluoxetine, and
lisinopril.
We identified prices that varied dramatically. We also discovered tips to help you save money on prescription medications.
We checked a 30-day prescription for a generic pill that treats pain and seizures called gabapentin. It can be as cheap as about $12, but half the pharmacies we surveyed charged more than ten times that price.
Here are prices quoted for 120 pills of 300 mg gabapentin:
Costco $11.95
St. Joseph Health Center $16.05
Hy-Vee $39.99
Price Chopper $62.19
University of Kansas Medical Center Pharmacy $74.41
Sam’s $122.88
CVS $123.99
Wal-Mart $126.62
Walgreens $127.29
Target $138.99
“At first I though it was an error in their computer system,” said Barbara Baldwin when she uncovered similar price differences for gabapentin at her pharmacies.
“Same number of pills, same size, same strength, same medication,” Baldwin’s son Tom said as he recalled asking pharmacists for price quotes on the same generic prescription.
The Baldwins saved more than a hundred dollars by going to a warehouse club when compared to the approximately $135 fee they were charged at a major drug chain.
“The price was 15 dollars and some odd cents, 90 cents,” Tom Baldwin says, “and I couldn't believe it.”
