5 Ways to Be Heart Healthy On a Budget

Cost-Saving Tip 3: Be Proactive in Talking to Your Doctor

You can experience severe sticker shock when you take a new prescription to the pharmacy. If your doctor recommends a new medication, ask if there are economical alternatives, such as a generic version, while you are still in the office. It's hard for health care providers to keep track of all of the "preferred" or cheapest options for every pharmacy or insurance plan. Your doctor may switch to a cheaper drug in the same class if you find out the one he or she prescribed is priced too high. All it involves is a phone call from the pharmacy or insurer.

If a generic isn't available, ask if there is a "therapeutic equivalent." That's a different drug that has the same or similar effects but may have a generic alternate. For instance, you may be taking a brand-name ACE inhibitor or statin that doesn't yet have a generic version, but you might do just as well on lisinopril (a generic ACE inhibitor) or simvastatin or lovastatin (generic statins). Long-acting or once-a-day formulations tend to cost more than shorter-acting formulations, which are often older versions of the same drug. The cost savings may far outweigh the inconvenience of taking a drug three times a day rather than once.