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Medicines and costs: United States.
A take-home sheet for people at the session. Other countries: United Kingdom · Canada · Australia.
Moraph for Good · Reach
Medicines and costs: United States
Handout · moraph.org/commons/sessions/reach/medicines-and-costs
The same medicine can cost very different amounts depending on the version and how you pay. This sheet lists questions to ask and the official help where you live, in the box below.
Generic medicines
- A generic has the same active ingredient as the brand-name medicine.
- It must meet the regulator’s quality standards and usually costs less.
- It may look different; ask the pharmacist if you are unsure.
Questions to ask
- Is there a generic or lower-cost option that would suit me?
- What will this cost before you fill it?
- Is there public help or an exemption I might qualify for?
If you can’t afford it
- Tell your prescriber or pharmacist before you stop or skip anything.
- Check the official help listed below.
- Keep receipts; some schemes count what you have already paid.
Buying safely
- Only buy from a licensed pharmacy.
- Avoid sellers that don’t ask for a prescription.
- Only take medicines prescribed for you.
In the United States
- Generic medicines. The FDA requires a generic medicine to have the same active ingredient, strength, dosage form and route of administration as the brand-name medicine, to be bioequivalent, and to be made to the same standards. Generics tend to cost less because their makers don’t repeat the original clinical studies, and competition lowers prices.
- Extra Help with Medicare drug costs. Extra Help is a Medicare program that helps people with limited income and resources pay Medicare drug coverage (Part D) premiums, deductibles, coinsurance and other costs. People with full Medicaid, a Medicare Savings Program or Supplemental Security Income get it automatically; others can apply.
- Free help applying. Your local State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) can give free help applying for Extra Help.
- Buying online safely. The FDA’s BeSafeRx campaign explains how to buy prescription medicines online safely and how to find a state-licensed online pharmacy. You can report websites you think are illegally selling medicine to the FDA.
Official places to check:
- US Food and Drug Administration: www.fda.gov/drugs/generic-drugs/generic-drug-facts
- US Food and Drug Administration: www.fda.gov/drugs/buying-using-medicine-safely/generic-drugs
- Medicare.gov: www.medicare.gov/basics/costs/help/drug-costs
- US Food and Drug Administration: www.fda.gov/drugs/buying-using-medicine-safely/besaferx-your-source-online-pharmacy-information
General information, not advice about your own situation. Checked 19 October 2026. If an official source says something different, it is right. Free to copy and adapt. moraph.org/commons/sessions/reach/medicines-and-costs