Health: Easing the Drug Crunch

Newsweek, May, 2004 by Barney Gimbel

Not long ago, Lorane Lansaw had to make an impossible choice: eat three meals a day or take her 20 medications. Living alone on Social Security with no prescription benefits, $510 a month for meds was more than the 67-year-old Iowan could afford. But after a member of her church volunteered to search online for better deals, Lansaw's drug tab dropped to about $300. "I call her my guardian angel," Lansaw says. "I couldn't believe I'd ever get out of this mess."

While Lansaw is typical of the people who save the most with online pharmacies like Drugstore.com , even those with a prescription plan can save money by avoiding their corner store. Major insurers have discount agreements with online or mail-order pharmacies to send you three months' worth of medication for the equivalent of two monthly co-pays. (Ask your insurer whom it contracts with.) ...