How do discount cards and resources affect my Medicare Prescription Drug plan?

Question

Leslie Helene Sussman · Accepted Answer

Normally Discount Cards (Good RX and others) may discount your Prescription cost at certain pharmacies.    This may be a way to save on Prescriptions when there is a higher copay.  These companies may gather your information and market Medicare plans.

There are State Resources available to help with Prescription costs.   There are many generic medications that could be $0 copay in Medicare Advantage or Standalone RX plan.    Brand Medications can have copays.     

State programs have an application and can take up to 2 weeks to 4 months to be approved.   These programs have income guidelines to qualify.  Most do not consider assets.

NJ PAAD 
PA PACE

If you have questions on the state resources, please contact me for more information.

Joseph Bachmeier · Answer

They do not affect your Medicare insurance and they do not help your Medicare insurance. 
Discount cards and programs line GoodRx are separate programs that work very well with purchasing inexpensive generic drugs in case you didn’t have a Part D drug plan.

Christopher Boyd · Answer

In most cases, discount cards or pharmaceutical company assistance is not available once a senior enrolls into Medicare Part D or Part C (with drug coverage). There are exceptions to this, but Medicare Part D/Part C can provide significant coverage support for most commonly prescribed medications.

Answered by Christopher Boyd on March 4, 2025

Agent Licensed in IN, KY, MI, OH, PA & TN

Answered by Christopher Boyd Medicare Insurance Agent

Bryan Smith · Answer

They do not have a connection to your coverage. It is usually one or the other. So if you think your co-pay is too high with insurance, try GoodRx.

Vincent Esposito · Answer

some seniors qualify for LIS (Low Income Subsidy or SPAP (State Pharmacy Assistance Program) ..... Pemiums coud be reduced

Mark Maliwauki · Answer

They can supplement depending on the availability of your Rx and a plan in a given plan area. Discount cards are another option when regular Rx plan options are not available.

Nydia Flores · Answer

Hello 
1. Using discount cards does not count towards your Medicare deductible or out-of-pocket maximum.  
2. Discount cards can not used with Medicare part D.  You can only use one or the other, not both. 
3. You can use a discount card to help cover medication not covered by your Medicare Part D plan.

If you need co-pay assistance, you can apply for EPIC.  EPIC is a program that helps Medicare participates lower their drug co-payment or even eliminates them.

Ruben Trejo · Answer

Discount cards can be a nice little hack for saving money on prescriptions, but they come with a catch, they don’t count toward your Medicare Part D out-of-pocket costs. Sometimes, they’ll get you a better deal than your plan’s copay, but other times, your Part D coverage is the smarter choice. Think of them as a backup tool in your savings toolbox—use them when they work in your favor, but don’t rely on them to help you hit your deductible or out-of-pocket max!

Answered by Ruben Trejo on March 4, 2025

Broker Licensed in TX, AL, AR & 27 other states

Answered by Ruben Trejo Medicare Insurance Agent

David Wiley · Answer

They don’t.  They are as if they didn’t exist as it does not count toward meeting your prescription deductible or your maximum out of pocket.  Their cost is totally on you.

Jim Schueth · Answer

Using Discount Cards like GoodRx on some generic medications can be cheaper than using plans you pay for under Medicare Part D.

Please remember if you have a Social Security amount under $1,883 and Assets(not including your home and car) under $17,220 you may qualify for Extra Help.  This means covered drugs will not cost more than $12.15 for a month's supply.   Call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 to get started.   These are 2025 income/asset numbers.

Gregg Matheny · Answer

Good question! Here’s a simple answer. It’s one or the other. If you pay for a prescription using your Medicare Prescription drug plan card Then you work towards Medicare‘s catastrophic coverage (in 2025 that amount is $2K), Meaning that whatever you spend towards covered medication’s, gets you closer to hitting your $2000 out-of-pocket maximum a.k.a. catastrophic coverage. once you hit $2000 out-of-pocket you no longer pay a penny for any covered medication’s. Using your Medicare prescription drug coverage will typically give you a pretty big discount on your medication‘s as it is a pre-negotiated discounted rate between the drug company and the insurance company.
If you were to use something like goodRX, you may get a discounted medication but there is no cap to what you may pay throughout the year. Everyone’s situation is different, so for some folks, I’m a huge fan of good RX but for others I strongly encourage sticking to using your Medicare prescription drug plan.

John L Herman Jr · Answer

A good pharmacy will try all discount plans that could save you money...and this has no impact on your Prescription Drug Plan.

Gretchen Morris · Answer

They do not.  You can use one or the other but most advantage plans ask that you use their plans.  It is ultimately your choice.

Tammie Rutledge · Answer

You are only able to use a Drug Discount card if you are paying cash for your prescription. 
You may not use the discount card in conjunction with your Prescription Drug plan .

Michael Crocker · Answer

Discount cards can be helpful in certain situations. Just be aware that any prescription purchases on discount programs do NOT count against your annual maximum out-of-pocket limit, so if you are trying to get to the limit as soon as possible so that your drug costs fall to zero, you may want to avoid discount cards.

Answered by Michael Crocker on March 28, 2025

Broker Licensed in SC

Answered by Michael Crocker Medicare Insurance Agent

Peter Yeh · Answer

You can't use prescription discount cards with your Medicare Part D benefits, but you can use them instead of them if the discount offers a lower price than your plan's cost.

Mary Hiatt · Answer

If you use any type of discount cards or resources outside of your Prescription Drug plan, your costs will not count towards your Deductible nor towards your Maximum Out of Pocket.

Ross Landon · Answer

They really don’t.  Popular discount cards like “Good Rx “ can be used to give you a better price on some medications. 

However, they do not count towards your Rx deductibles or true out-of-pocket costs. They are not insurance plans, so they are just standalone discounts!

Aisha Saleem · Answer

If you choose to use a discount card to pay for a prescription because it's cheaper than the Medicare Prescription Drug plan, you can use it for the cheaper price. However, it will not count towards your out-of-pocket expenses.

Answered by Aisha Saleem on March 13, 2025

Agent Licensed in MD & FL

Answered by Aisha Saleem Medicare Insurance Agent

Randy Hill · Answer

You can use them to possibly save money on prescriptions. However they will not go toward your deductible if applicable. Sometimes the savings is well worth using them. Always ask the pharmacist which option will give you the best deal.

Answered by Randy Hill on April 1, 2025

Broker Licensed in OH, AL, AZ & 7 other states

Answered by Randy Hill Medicare Insurance Agent

Linda Bolan · Answer

You cannot use a discount prescription drug card in conjunction with Medicare Part D prescription drug plan. You must choose either to use your Part D prescription drug card or the discount card, you cannot use both at the same time.

Answered by Linda Bolan on March 12, 2025

Agent Licensed in IN

Answered by Linda Bolan Medicare Insurance Agent

Charles Mai · Answer

Medicare Part D does not work with other discount cards.  If the discount card is better, you can pick up the medicine thru your discount card but the spending will be not be counted toward the Part’s deductible and out of packet max.  

Some of my customers use discount cards to pick up medicines that are not covered by the Medicare part D plan.

Most of the states if not every state have the assistant program. Like PAAD in NJ and PACE in PA, EPIC in NY.  The Fed also the the low income subsidy plan (LIS) to help those who qualify to get medicines.

How do discount cards and resources affect my Medicare Prescription Drug plan?

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How do discount cards and resources affect my Medicare Prescription Drug plan?

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