Q&A: GoodRx on partnerships for lowering drug costs

Prescription price financial savings firm GoodRx partnered with grocery chain Publix to carry the corporate’s GoodRx Gold platform to Publix clients. 

The Gold platform gives prescription drug financial savings in addition to telehealth choices, together with supplier visits and telepharmacy appointments. 

Doug Hirsch, cofounder and chief technique officer at GoodRx, sat down with Our blogNews to debate the partnership and what GoodRx has deliberate for 2024. 

Our blogNews: Are you able to inform me in regards to the partnership between GoodRx and Publix? How does this enhance entry for the Publix client base?  

Doug Hirsch: GoodRx Gold is one of the best of GoodRx. It’s a membership program the place shoppers join on goodrx.com or by way of our cellular app, they usually get entry to extremely low costs that enables them to principally discover inexpensive options to their care. 

It will possibly actually carry down shoppers out-of-pocket prices, whether or not they have medical health insurance, or even when they don’t. Oftentimes, individuals suppose GoodRx is only for individuals who do not have insurance coverage, however even in case you have medical health insurance, we will discover actually unimaginable low costs. 

We additionally supply discounted telehealth visits if you cannot get to the physician and also you wish to see somebody you realize by way of Zoom, and it really works at Albertsons, CVS, Safeway and, in fact, now … it really works at Publix as properly, over 1,200 Publix pharmacies. 

MHN: How precisely does that work for Publix shoppers? If I am a Publix buyer, do I join GoodRx via them or do I join via GoodRx? 

Hirsch: You join on the GoodRx web site. 

You simply reply a number of questions and inform us who you’re, and principally, you find yourself getting a card, which is both on the cellular app, or you are going to get a bodily card if you happen to desire to place one in your pockets. After which, identical to your insurance coverage playing cards, you get the identical sorts of numbers that somebody would have with insurance coverage. You simply actually carry it in, you present it to the pharmacist, they put it on file, after which they’re going to use GoodRx for all of your transactions. 

It really works in the identical manner as insurance coverage and pharmacists know what it’s. There is not any points whenever you get to the pharmacy. 

MHN: May you speak about among the prescriptions which can be included with GoodRx Gold? Is insulin coated? 

Hirsch: GoodRx Gold is actually finest for generic medicine. About 90% of the medicine shoppers fill on this nation are generic, and that’s the place probably the most value variation is, the place, even with insurance coverage, you will discover extremely costly costs. 

So, it principally focuses on generic medicine. There are financial savings for a number of medicine on GoodRx. You may typically discover nice financial savings for model or generic medicine. However I suppose it might rely upon the person drug and sometimes the person dosage and type you are searching for. However once more, it really works for 1000’s of medication, and it really works for the overwhelming majority of medication that customers need to fill. 

MHN: Are you able to inform me extra about GoodRx Gold’s telehealth choices? 

Hirsch: We’ve dozens of companies that you will discover assist with. 

There’s, you realize, every part from basic care testing and pores and skin screening and hair remedy refill, being pregnant testing, yeast infections. I imply, there’s principally a complete bunch of various explanation why or potential points the place our physicians can principally discuss to you on the cellphone or discuss to you on the pc and principally, if a prescription is critical, they might really prescribe it to the pharmacy, after which, in fact, you should utilize your gold low cost to get it. I needs to be clear that GoodRx can be utilized by anybody, however Gold offers you a reduced value. 

MHN: What does GoodRx have on the horizon for 2024? 

Hirsch: There’s the generic medicine that you just and I’ve talked about, however we even have a quickly rising enterprise round model medicine, these medicine you examine within the headlines are $1,000 or $10,000. We will discover medicine for as little as $0. 

We have continued to enhance our relationship with retailers like Walgreens, CVS, and Walmart – these are the pharmacies in America the place we have simply deeper and higher relationships, which ends up in the profit to the patron, not only for value, however for comfort. 

After which, we’re additionally integrating GoodRx immediately into many insurance policy nowadays. So, in case you have an insurance coverage card, in some circumstances, you may get the advantage of a lower cost by GoodRx simply mechanically constructed into your insurance coverage card. So, you do not even have to enroll. You do not have to go to our web site or print out a coupon. You actually can simply current your insurance coverage card, if you happen to’re on an eligible plan, and you will get the bottom value of GoodRx or your insurance coverage.