Consumer Reports warns about drug coupons

The coupons generally reduce patient co-payments for brand-name drugs to what they would pay for a generic drug.

The group, Community Catalyst, says that drives up health insurance premiums and violate federal bribery laws.

Meantime, Consumer Reports also has some warnings about drug coupons.

Health insurance companies are charging higher and higher co-pays for prescription medications. Some co-pays now top $90 a month. That makes coupons from drug manufacturers enticing.

But yes, Consumer Reports has some cautions.

Before heading to the pharmacy, more and more people are heading online to snag a coupon.

Many big-name drugs are offering coupons and other discounts. "Save up to $15 on each prescription for the antidepressant Pristiq," or "30-day free trial for the statin Crestor."

According to a Consumer Reports survey, nearly 19 million people who regularly take medication used a drug coupon last year. But those coupons aren't necessarily good deals.

"Just because a brand-name drug is available with a coupon doesn't mean it's your least expensive option. Less expensive generics may be available that are equally effective," said Dr. John Santa of Consumer Reports.

And insurance co-pays for generics are often much lower, sometimes one-tenth the cost.

Then there's Lipitor, whose money-saving offer is being heavily advertised.

"Lipitor may be available for as little as $4 a month with a Lipitor co-pay card."

For people already taking Lipitor, Consumer Reports says the co-pay card can be a real money-saver, at least for now.

"There is a generic for Lipitor, but at this point it's just about as expensive. So if you qualify for the four-dollar Lipitor program, it's a good deal," said Dr. Santa.

But as with many drug coupons, you don't qualify if you are covered by Medicaid, Medicare, or other federal or state health care programs.

"For people without insurance, it is possible to use many of these coupons. But you're still going to pay a lot of money out of pocket," explained Dr. Santa.

The best way to save on prescriptions is to see if your doctor can prescribe a less expensive medicine.

Consumer Reports says you can get discounts on many generic prescription drugs at Target, Walmart, Walgreen's, CVS, RiteAid, and other big retailers and supermarkets.