Coupon or co-pay cards have become one of the fastest growing ways for pharmaceutical companies to advertise.  They effectively bring down the cost of a brand name medication for the consumers to a more reasonable copay level.  It can, in some cases, be even lower than the cost of a similar generic medication in the same therapeutic class.  And because most people have it in their head that generic means “inferior” they opt for the new brand name.

In this coupon crazy world we live in, we broke down the winners and losers of co-pay or coupon card use:

Big Pharma is the ultimate winner!  By using coupon co-pay cards for marketing, they are able to reach customers directly. By fictitiously marking up their product price to the consumer just to mark it back down again, they create a euphoric state.  Their product may or may not be better than other products on the market, but their prices are certainly higher.

Your Insurance company is a big loser.  By lowering the out of pocket cost for consumers, and pulling their medication choice from cheaper generics to more expensive brands, the insurance company gets blasted with a big bill!  Although you may think you don’t care, you should.  Next year, this added cost affects your premiums and ultimately it is you footing the bill.

You, the consumer are a sometimes a winner in the short term, but are always a loser in the long term. If you plan on dieing in the next year, you may come out ahead by using coupons.  If you don’t, the use of coupons (and Brand Name Drugs in general) will ultimately (and unnecessarily) eat away at your take home pay through growing insurance premiums.

There are a few good reasons to use coupon cards when one of the following apply:
-no other alternative in a generic form exists
- the need for “this” particular medication is real
- the patient would otherwise get no therapy without the coupon, setting them up for an even greater event costing both health and money.

Although coupons for the latest and greatest medications may be cheap or even free to start, they often lead down a more expensive and unnecessary path.  Remember that newer medications are not necessarily better.  Some of the best medications available today have been around for 20 years or more.  If you’re ever unsure, talk about all of the available options with your doctor.