Wegmans lowers prescription costs

ROCHESTER - First it was free generic oral antibiotic prescriptions. Now, Wegmans has announced a new program that will lower the cost of nearly 390 select generic maintenance drugs and those used to treat acute conditions. The list is made up of the most-commonly prescribed generic prescription drugs filled at Wegmans.

The new prices go into effect Sunday, March 1. A 30-day supply of the listed drugs will now cost $4. A 90-day supply will cost $10. The complete list will be available on wegmans.com on Sunday, March 1.

'We started by lowering food prices in November, and then began to look at other ways we could lower costs for customers and employees,' said Colleen Wegman, president. 'It has confirmed what we've always known. If we approach everything by doing what's right for our employees and customers, it is also good for our business.'

The most-significant savings from this program will go to the people who need it most: The uninsured who pay cash for prescriptions; those who have experienced a change in health care coverage; and the unemployed or uninsured who may not be filling their prescriptions. Consumers with insurance will see an immediate reduction in the amount of their co-pay.

Wegmans expects this to impact approximately 3.6 million new and refilled prescriptions annually. The total estimated savings for employees, customers, insurers, self-insured employer groups, and federal and state programs, like Medicare, Medicaid or EPIC in New York State, will exceed $15 million, according to the company.

Wegmans acknowledged the need to remain competitive with other retailers who have, or may introduce, discount programs for generic drugs.

'When a patient feels they must shop around for lower prices, we risk sacrificing the data that shows all of the prescribed drugs for that person,' said John Carlo, Wegmans vice president of pharmacy. 'It's vital that we have a complete patient profile for every customer in order to identify drug interactions. We don't want to give our patients a reason to use another pharmacy.'

top of page

Copyright © 2009
Courier-Gazette, 613 S. Main St. Newark, N.Y. 14513 - 315-331-1000
All Rights Reserved