A. Pharmacy pricing information was last generated on 2/4/2012 by looking at claims between 8/4/2011 and 2/4/2012.
In addition, pharmacies have the opportunity to set prices on drugs. Pharmacy entered prices will override any prices derived by looking at claims history.
A. Many brand name drugs have a generic alternative. Using a generic alternative could save you money.
A. If no prices were displayed for your search:
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Try a wider search area
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Try expanding your search area to ALL for county, area code, city or zip code
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Try a different medication strength
If no prices are displayed, it is because our claims history does not have any claims in the last 6 months containing this drug being dispensed at that pharmacy. Or, the pharmacy has not set a price in our system for the drug. It does not necessarily mean that the pharmacy does not sell the drug or an equivalent. It simply means that no prices are available in our system at the current time.
A. Yes
If you search on a brand name drug, the generic equivalents will also display. This will allow you to select either the results of your brand name search, or any generic equivalent found. Searches will provide multiple results if generic versions of the drug exist. For instance, three different manufacturers may produce a biological equivalent of albuterol sulfate. The pricing locator will identify all of the available equivalent drugs in your area. Ask your pharmacist to determine the best drug at the best price for you.
A. Click on the word PRICE at the top of the results table in the application to sort your prices from lowest to highest and highest to lowest.
A. This system does not reflect what drugs are covered or not covered by MO HealthNet or Medicare. A user can search on all drugs in the marketplace today. However, prices for that drug will not be found unless a claim for that drug was paid by MO HealthNet in the past OR unless the pharmacy has uploaded their price for that drug. Display of a drug and drug price within this system does not mean it is a part of MO HealthNet or Medicare covered drugs.
A. If a drug is not listed for your city, county or area code, this does NOT necessarily mean that the drug is not carried by a pharmacy in your area. The drug list and prices are updated twice a month. If a drug does not appear in your search results, that means that pharmacies in your area that have submitted MO HealthNet claims have not reported sales of the drug at the strength you searched on in that county, city or area code in the last 6 months. You can try to determine a potential price for the drug by changing the location selection to "All" to see if the drug was reported for any city, county or area code within the state. You can also try searching on adjacent counties, cities or area codes.
A. Not necessarily. This website allows you to select the most commonly used strengths and quantities. It bases the price shown on the average price per unit, per drug strength. Many drugs may be prescribed in different strengths and quantities, as well as in different forms, such as capsules and regular or soluble tablets. Prices will vary depending on the form, strength, and quantity. If your exact prescription quantity and strength is not listed, contact your pharmacy for the price.
A. Prescription drug prices may vary from day-to-day. The prices online are based on prices paid by MO HealthNet recipients for the drugs or are prices set by the pharmacy within the system. The price you find at your pharmacy may not be the same price that appears on this list. The prices quoted on the list are only meant to help you compare prices at different pharmacies and are not a guaranteed price.
A. This website can help you comparison shop the full retail prices in your area for prescription and non-prescription drugs. Prices are based on non dual-eligible MO HealthNet claims for prescription drugs. As a Medicare beneficiary, you can also enroll in a Medicare Drug Discount Card program which may save you 10-25% off some retail drug prices. Low-income beneficiaries may be eligible for supplements to pay for their prescription medicines. Information about Medicare-approved drug discount cards is available at www.medicare.gov
A. Price may not be your only consideration when you chose a pharmacy. You may find a certain pharmacy provides better and more personal service or you may have a good relationship with a particular pharmacist. If you prefer to remain with your pharmacy even though they may charge more for your prescription, ask if your pharmacy will match the lower prices.
Remember, if you use different pharmacies to fill your prescriptions, be certain to provide each pharmacist with a list of the drugs and supplements you are taking in order to avoid potentially harmful drug interactions. Talk with your Doctor before using more than one pharmacy.
A. Most, but not all. Currently, Missouri receives pricing information for only those medications dispensed under the MO HealthNet program. Therefore, the retail pharmacies appearing on morxcompare.mo.gov
are only those that have dispensed the drug being searched on to a MO HealthNet patient. Those pharmacies provide the state with all of their pricing levels, including the "usual and customary" retail price.