Attached is the detailed case study with all of the gory details and named companies… BTW, anyone is welcome to use this case study as a basis for other initiatives or further study.
SUMMARY

change:healthcare knew that a wide range in costs for consumer pharmaceuticals existed at major pharmacy chains within the same marketplace. But there was no empirical data to back up this assertion. Verifying this fact would underscore that consumers can and should become smarter purchasers of healthcare goods and services by shopping around. Because doing so would increase the quality and value they will find in their healthcare purchases. This mindset is especially important since healthcare costs continue to impact the bottom line of employers – who pay the greatest share of that burden today — and larger and larger portions of healthcare costs are being transferred to employee shoulders.

RESULTS

If all six drugs were purchased from any of the locations examined, a person buying at the highest priced chain in the survey would have paid about $485 (20%) more than the person buying at the lowest. In fact, the cost of a prescription can vary as much as 20 to 40 percent between major pharmacy chains within walking distance of one another, and as much as 50 percent from one part of a city to another.

This finding has implications for the uninsured, as well as for people enrolled in the increasingly popular Healthcare Savings Accounts (HSAs). Those in an HSA have a high deductible and pay that deductible out of their own pocket first before insurance kicks in. That’s in stark contrast to traditional insurance with a pharmacy plan that allows for a standard co-pay amount, generally $10-$35-$50 per prescription depending upon the plan.

This also has implications for the traditionally insured. Though some individuals only play a co-payment for their prescriptions, the employer by way of the insurance carrier covers the other portion of the cost. Every dollar you save when purchasing a pharmaceutical could have an impact on the following years’ healthcare cost, including the premium increase an employer may ask an employee to shoulder in the coming year(s).

Here is the Case Study for download… rxpricecasestudy.pdf