Blink Health vs GoodRx Review: How to save up to 95% on your prescription costs instantly

How to save up to 95% on your prescription costs instantly

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Americans spend over $400B on prescriptions annually, or about $1,100 per person per year, which is more than any other country. To make things worse, the cost of prescription drugs are skyrocketing and likely hitting your wallet hard.

According to a Consumer Reports survey of 1,200 American adults, rising drug costs are forcing millions of people to cut back on groceries, delay retirement and even forgo their own healthcare in potentially dangerous ways.

You may think you’re getting the best prescription drug prices under your employer’s health insurance or Medicare, but unfortunately that’s often not the case. Furthermore, did you know that the price of the same drug could differ by more than $100 between pharmacies across the street from each other?

That is crazy!

Thankfully, there are innovative pharmacy companies disrupting the industry with solutions that will save you a lot of money!

The new companies disrupting the pharmacy industry in your favor

There are many new pharmacy companies working to save consumers money on their drug costs by negotiating better prices and providing local price comparisons to arm patients with real time knowledge.

Based on my research, two companies stand out as clear winners that will save you more money instantly. And by “more money”, I mean up to 95% cost savings!

The two innovative companies are Blink Health and GoodRx.

But, which one is best for you? And, how are they different?

Follow along to read my independent review of GoodRx and Blink Health to find out how they compare to one another.

Blink Health vs. GoodRx Review: How they compare

About the companies What is Blink Health?

Blink Health is a website and mobile app that enables consumers to access the medications they need at prices they can afford at various pharmacies in the U.S. Through its negotiated prices and online platform, Blink Health allows users to easily compare pharmacy prices, purchase their medications online and pick them up at their local pharmacy for significant price savings.

What is GoodRx?

GoodRx is a website and mobile app that gathers current prescription prices, savings tips and discounts for medications at virtually every pharmacy in the U.S. Through its online platform and discount programs, GoodRx allows users to easily compare pharmacy prices, download prescription discount cards and take them into their local pharmacy to purchase and obtain significant price savings.

Where are they located? Blink Health Headquarters:

New York City, NY

GoodRx Headquarters:

Santa Monica, CA

Year Founded Blink Health Year Founded:

2014

GoodRx Year Founded:

2011

Founders Blink Health Founders:

Geoffrey Chaiken & Matthew Chaiken

GoodRx Founders:

Doug Hirsch, Trevor Bezdek & Scott Marlette

How do they work? How do you use Blink Health?

1. Search for your medication

2. Select the cheapest pharmacy location

3. Pay online and receive your proof of purchase

4. Fill your prescription at your local pharmacy

5. Pick up your prescription and pay $0 at the pharmacy

How do you use GoodRx?

1. Search for your medication

2. Select the cheapest pharmacy location

3. Print your coupon or use the digital version on the app

4. Fill your prescription at your local pharmacy

5. Pick up your prescription, show your coupon and pay the discounted price at the pharmacy

Mobile App Ratings Blink Health App Ratings:

4.8 out of 5.0

GoodRx App Ratings:

4.8 out of 5.0

Number of In-network Pharmacies: Blink Health has 57,000+ pharmacies in-network GoodRx has 70,000+ pharmacies in-network
In-Network Pharmacies: Blink Health Pharmacies:

CVS: Not in network

Walgreens: Not in network

✅ Walmart: In-Network

Rite-Aid: Not in network

✅ Kroger: In-Network

✅ Safeway: In-Network

✅ Albertsons: In-Network

✅ Costco: In-Network

✅ Sam’s Club: In-Network

Publix: Not in network

✅ Independent & Other: In-Network

GoodRx Pharmacies:

✅ CVS: In-Network

✅ Walgreens: In-Network

✅ Walmart: In-Network

✅ Rite-Aid: In-Network

✅ Kroger: In-Network

✅ Safeway: In-Network

✅ Albertsons: In-Network

✅ Costco: In-Network

Sam’s Club: Not in network

✅ Publix: In-Network

✅ Independent & Other: In-Network

Are Prices Guaranteed? ✅ Yes, Blink Health prices are guaranteed. No, GoodRx prices are not guaranteed; they are estimates.
Is there a price match? ✅ Yes, Blink Health has a price match guarantee. If you find a better price, including coupons, Blink Health will match that price and refund you the difference. No, GoodRx does not have a price match guarantee.
Do prices expire? ✅ Blink Health purchases never expire. GoodRx prices may expire.
Are purchases refundable? ✅ Yes, Blink Health purchases are 100% refundable until your medication is filled at the pharmacy. Not applicable since GoodRx is a discount card program and you cannot purchase drugs through GoodRx.
Is it free to use? ✅ Blink Health is free to use and has no membership fees. ✅ GoodRx is free to use, but GoodRx Gold, which provides its best prices, charge you a monthly membership fee.
Does it work when you have insurance? ✅ Yes, you can use Blink Health when you have insurance. ✅ Yes, you can use GoodRx when you have insurance.
Does it work when you have Medicare? ✅ Yes, you can use Blink Health when you have Medicare. ✅ Yes, you can use GoodRx when you have Medicare.
Do purchased count towards my insurance deductible? No, Blink Health purchases will not count towards your insurance deductible. No, GoodRx purchases will not count towards your insurance deductible.
Does it work for uninsured? ✅ Yes, Blink Health works for uninsured people. ✅ Yes, GoodRx works for uninsured people.
Is there a referral program? ✅ Yes, Blink Health has a referral program. You can earn $15 by referring friends! No, GoodRx does not have a referral program.

Please note: The above information was updated as of October 1, 2018.

How Blink Health and GoodRx compare for my personal situation

In order to truly compare these two companies, I compiled a list of every prescription my wife and I take and compared the prices between Blink Health and GoodRx.

For us, the clear winner is Blink Health if I did not have health insurance through my employer.

I found that our annual total cost of prescriptions with Blink Health are $390/year and $602/year with GoodRx. So, we save $212/year, or 54%, using Blink Health instead of GoodRx. In addition, Blink Health had the lowest price for every single prescription on our list.

Then, I compared the pricing to what I get through my employer’s insurance and found that our annual total cost of prescriptions with my insurance is $127/year. So, we save $263/year with my insurance versus Blink Health and save $475/year with my insurance versus GoodRx.

Thankfully, my employer provides good pharmacy coverage and pays for a good portion of the prescription costs since they are self-insured. What I cannot see, however, is how much money my employer actually pays for our prescriptions on my behalf.

Which one is best, Blink Health or GoodRx?

Since Blink Health has a Price Match Guarantee, I recommend using Blink Health. In addition, Blink Health provides free home delivery if you don’t feel like visiting your local pharmacy.

Sign up for Blink Health using this link and you’ll receive $15 off your first prescription fill, automatically applied at checkout! If your prescription is less than $15, then you just got a free fill!

Now, if you don’t want to go through the process of filling out their online price match guarantee claim form, then the answer depends on your current drug coverage and which prescriptions you take. You may get better prices for some drugs with Blink Health and better prices for other drugs with GoodRx.

One thing I noticed is that during checkout Blink Health does not automatically match Wal-Mart’s $4 generic cash program price, which allows customers to purchase some common generic drugs for $4 per 30-day supply using cash.

However, I performed some price checks on both Blink Health and GoodRx for some of these medications and found the price variance to be immaterial. Some of the generic medications I compared were about $1 over the Wal-Mart $4 cash price. However, some were cheaper on Blink Health than Wal-Mart’s $4 cash price. GoodRx shows these generics at the $4 cash price at your local Wal-Mart.

My recommendation is to use Blink Health when their price beats your prescription drug coverage, the Medicare price or when you are uninsured.

Sign up for Blink Health or GoodRx now and start saving instantly!

Sign up for
Blink Health using this link to receive $15 off your first prescription fill, automatically applied at checkout!

 

Disclaimer:  The views are my own and I do not guarantee accuracy of information. This is not legal, financial, medical or professional advice and you should not use it as such. For full disclosure, I may receive compensation through the use of affiliate or referral links from the companies mentioned in this article.

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