Consumers need to consider all the angles when choosing and filling prescription drugs. For example, under many prescription drug coverage insurance plans, a consumer pays a higher co-pay to fill a prescription at a store and a lower one when using mail order. In addition, plans often have co-pay ‘tiers.’ The first tier is for a generic drug; the second is for a brand-name drug. Sometimes, there are three tiers: The second tier is for preferred brand-name drugs and third for a non-preferred brand-name drugs. The same drug can cost as little as $6.66 for a 30-day supply or as much as $40, depending on what you buy and where and how you buy it. Typical fixed-dollar co-payments in tiered drug-coverage plans Two-tier plans: Tier 1 30-day retail supply: $10 Tier 1 90-day mail order supply: $20 Tier 2 30-day retail supply: $20 Tier 2 90-day mail order supply: $30 Three-tier plans: Tier 1 30-day retail supply: $10 Tier 1 90-day mail-order supply: $25 Tier 2 30-day retail supply: $25 Tier 2 90-day mail-order supply: $50 Tier 3 30-day retail supply: $40 Tier 3 […]