Saving Money on Cancer Medicines

Cancer medicines can be expensive, but the price is not always fixed. Often you can lower the cost by asking a few questions and using programs designed to help. The safest savings come from working with your doctor. They never come from changing your doses on your own.

The National Cancer Institute suggests asking your doctor whether a generic version of your medicine is available. Generics usually cost less than brand-name medicines. You can also ask about the form of the drug, since pills may cost less than other forms.

A generic or a different form can lower the price while still treating you.

The ideas below come from NCI's guidance on pain and supportive medicines. Those are the pills for pain, nausea, sleep and infection. They are the safest place to save.

They do not apply to the cancer drug itself. Never split, crush, open, delay or stretch an anticancer medicine to make it last longer. That covers chemo tablets, targeted-therapy capsules and hormone pills. Many are unsafe to handle broken. A stretched schedule can quietly undo the treatment. If the cancer drug itself is what you cannot afford, say so at your next visit. That is what our financial help finder and your center's financial navigator are for. These programs cover more people than most patients expect.

You can ask your doctor to write only part of a prescription. Then you can make sure the medicine works for you before buying the rest. This helps only if you pay by the amount you buy. With some insurance plans, you pay the same whether you buy part or all. One important exception: you cannot get samples of opioids, and you cannot order them in bulk or through the mail.

Many insurance companies let you get prescriptions through mail-order pharmacies. Those are sometimes cheaper than a local pharmacy. Make sure the medicine works for you first. As above, opioids cannot be ordered in bulk or by mail.

For some pain and supportive medicines, a doctor can prescribe a larger strength on purpose. A dose can then be split in half to save money. That choice belongs to the prescriber alone. NCI warns never to split doses on your own. And it is never done with anticancer drugs. Those must not be split, crushed or opened at all.

Ask your care team before you change any medicine. Never change the cancer drug itself.

Several organizations and drug companies run programs that help pay for prescriptions or find them at a lower cost. Ask your nurse or social worker, or look at a program's website. Examples the NCI lists include tools that compare prices and provide coupons. There are also search engines that connect you with drug-manufacturer assistance programs, organizations that list help with medicines and supplies, and a nonprofit mail-order pharmacy that serves people in need. With some of these, the price may be lower than with your insurance, so it is worth comparing.

This information is educational and is not a substitute for medical advice. For your own care, talk with your doctor, nurse, or pharmacist about your medicines and their costs.

This article is based on public information from the National Cancer Institute:

• NCI — Managing Cancer Costs and Medical Information