Kroger has introduced a new way for its patients to save money. The company on Wednesday launched its Rx Savings Club, which it developed in partnership with prescription drug savings company GoodRx.
The Kroger Rx Savings Club — announced on the heels of its
acquiring files from 42 Shopko pharmacies — offers patients discounts on common generic medications for such conditions as diabetes, asthma, mental health issues, women’s health, gastrointestinal health and heart health. Then program offers three tiers of low-cost medications — free 30-day and 90-day prescriptions; $3 30-day and $6 90-day prescriptions; and $6 30-day and $12 90-day prescriptions.
"Kroger is redefining the customer experience by introducing new Wellness Your Way offerings like the Kroger Rx Savings Club," said Colleen Lindholz, president of Kroger Health. "Kroger operates nearly 2,200 pharmacies, serving millions of customers across America. Our new partnership with GoodRx provides cost savings for our customers in a simple, practical way and enables us to live our Kroger Health vision of helping people lead healthier lives."
Kroger noted that more than 200 million prescriptions are left at the pharmacy because patients can’t afford them. Free medications include high blood pressure treatment amlodipine (brand name Norvasc), metformin IR for diabetes (brand name Glucophage); sertraline (brand name Zoloft) for mental health; and montelukast (brand name Singulair) for asthma, among others. The most popular prescription in America, according to GoodRx, atorvastatin, is in the tier that offers 30-day fills for $6 and 90-day fills for $12.
To join the Rx Savings Club, patients pay an annual fee of $36 for individuals or $72 for families of up to six people.
"Our mission is to help lower the cost of prescriptions in America, and we are very pleased to have worked with Kroger to develop such a significant Rx savings program," said Jim Sheninger, GoodRx's Pharmacy Strategy Officer. "The popularity of the medications included in these discounts, coupled with the extra low-cost pricing tiers, should result in meaningful savings for patients and families—savings that are absolutely critical in this high-priced healthcare landscape."