Walgreens is a drugstore chain with over 8,000 stores across the United States. Walgreens accepts most prescription plans and offers a program for those without insurance called “Walgreens Caremark.” If you have a valid prescription, then Walgreens accepts Medicaid plans and Medicare plans. If you do not have prescription coverage, Walgreens offers a low-price generic program called “Medication Management Services” or MMS. MMS is great for those without insurance, and it helps cover the cost of the medication at $5-$15 per 30 days, depending on your income.
List of insurance companies that are accepted at Walgreens drugstore
Insurance companies that are accepted by Walgreens drugstore include:
- Blue Cross Blue Shield
- Aetna, Cigna
- United Healthcare
- Humana
- Assurant Health, Sun Life Financial
- AARP, AvMed, Coventry Health Care of Florida/CoventryOne
- Assurant Specialty Property, National General Assurance Co., Genworth Financial
- Assurity Life Insurance Co., Atlantic Health System Employee Benefits Plan, American Equity
Investment Life Holding Company, American National Insurance Company
Walgreens offers a program to help those without insurance called “Walgreens Prescription Savings Club.” This club is for individuals that do not have prescription drug coverage. It is great for those that have never been on medication before, and it helps save you from paying too much at the pharmacy. With the program being accepted in most stores across America and with various prices, health first savings are real.
How does claiming from insurance work at Walgreens?
There are two options at Walgreens. You will either pay for your medication and get reimbursed by your insurance company, or you can purchase the medication at a low price of what you would have to pay without insurance. When you pay for your medication and get reimbursed by your insurance company, you will be reimbursed for the amount that your insurance company agrees to pay. If you purchase the medication at the low price you would pay without insurance, it is like paying cash. You do not need any sort of membership.
When you can purchase the medication at a low price of what you would have to pay without insurance, you can purchase it at Walgreens. When you do, all you need is to sign up for the program through the drugstore, and once you see your doctor or if your doctor already knows about this program or when getting a prescription filled, there is no additional paperwork needed.
Does Walgreens accept Medigap?
Walgreens accepts Medigap plans. If you have a valid prescription, you can get your medication at Walgreens through your Medigap plan. It may take a couple of days to process your prescription after being seen by the doctor. But once it is processed, you will receive a call from Walgreens letting you know that it has been accepted and what the costs are for each medication.
How much does it cost to visit Walgreens drugstore without insurance?
Walgreens has a program called “Walgreens Prescription Savings Club.” This saves you money on all of your prescriptions. You do not need insurance to participate in the club, but different prices depend on if you have insurance or not. But regardless of which price you pay, it is still far cheaper than your copay at other pharmacies. This is great for those without insurance, and it helps cover the cost of the medication at $5-$15 per 30 days, depending on your income. You will need to talk to your doctor about applying for this program, and then you can purchase your medication based on that price. For most medications, it does not require you to sign up or register with Walgreens either.
Other pharmacies that accept most insurance plans:
1. Sam's Club Pharmacopoeia
Sam's Club accepts most insurance plans. There are a variety of pharmacies within Sam's Clubs, so if your medication is not filled by the pharmacopoeia you go to, they will transfer it for you at no additional cost to another location.
If you do not have insurance and need financial assistance, then you can contact Sam's Club and ask for help. They may even offer to cover the cost of your medication until you can get on a financial assistance program from them.
2. Costco Pharmacopoeia
Costco has a prescription program called “The Costco Connection.” It will only work if your insurance plan does not cover your medication, but it saves you substantial money. It works by paying a set amount for each month towards the cost of the medication. For example, there is no copay when using this program which saves you around $20-$40 per month. In other words, if your monthly costs were $200, then you would pay just $60 or $120 for that medication.
You will need to pay the entire cost of your medication upfront, and Costco reimburses you, rather than having insurance cover it for you. They will send you a check every month or every quarter, depending on which one you choose.
3. Kroger Pharmacies
Some Kroger pharmacies are contracted with some insurance plans, which gives their members access to discounts on medications. It may not be as substantial as Sam's Club or Costco Prescription Program, but some medications are eligible for an instant discount card which reduces the price by up to 75% off retail prices. This is open to anyone who has any type of prescription coverage plan, including Medicare, commercial insurance companies, and even patients that don't have insurance. You would need to check with your Kroger pharmacopoeia to see if they accept Medicare plans because not all of them do.
The cost of medication varies depending on the specific medi cal and each person's needs. Drugs can range from $15-$200 per 30 days when you have no insurance or a high deductible involved.
4. Walmart Pharmacies
Walmart has a program called “Access to Care,” which gives members access to $4 prescription. If your medication is not on the list of $4 medications, you can transfer it to another Walmart location which will still save you money.
This program also helps patients who are uninsured or underinsured because they offer financial assistance as well. You will simply need to contact them and apply for their aid/assistance program, but this does take some time, so make sure that you do this ahead of time if possible.
5. CVS Pharmacies
CVS has a loyalty rewards card called “ExtraCare.” This works very similarly to other pharmacopoeia programs by giving discounts on certain medications such as flu shots. You can use your ExtraCare card and a manufacturer coupon to reduce the cost of your medication further.
CVS will also transfer medications for you if they do not have them in stock at their location. If they cannot transfer the medication, you can pick up a 90 day supply for $20. The only medications that CVS does not sell this way are inhalers and certain injectable medications, but those may still be transferred over to another location.
Aidan has been writing about personal finance for over 6 years. Prior to this, he worked as a Corporate Finance Analyst where he specialized in Due Diligence, Company Valuations and more. He is a CFA charterholder.
