Publix partners with Florida company to cut costs on drugs. Here’s how to get the card

Visory Health, a prescription savings company based in Orlando, offers discount cards that can be used at pharmacies across the country. Now, it has partnered with Florida-based Publix to give customers a chance to save on medications, Visory announced on Wednesday.

“By expanding its rapidly growing network of over 30,000 pharmacies, this is the latest effort by Visory to help empower caregivers, women and underserved communities across the nation to create healthier families through increased accessibility to affordable healthcare,” Visory Health said in a statement

The challenge is to keep ahead of rising prescription drug costs.

The U.S. government agency ASPE, the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, released a report tracing drug price changes from 2016 to 2022 in September 2022. ASPE found 1,216 products whose price increases during a 12-month period from July 2021 to July 2022 exceeded the inflation rate of 8.5 percent for that time period.

The average price increase for these drugs was 31.6 percent. Some drugs in 2022 increased by more than $20,000, or 500%.

“High prescription drug costs are a leading concern among Americans. Americans pay higher prices for prescription drugs than any other country in the world, with prescription drug prices in the U.S. more than 2.5 times as high as those in other similar high-income nations,” ASPE said in its analysis.

According to Visory Health, the Florida company works directly with pharmacies to help shave costs, sometimes by as much as 80%, when customers use the Visory discount card at the pharmacy. Visory doesn’t require insurance.

The company notes that one in five people over 65 are not taking necessary medications due to cost.

In addition to Publix supermarkets, the discount card is accepted at Walmart, Walgreens, CVS, Kroger, Sam’s Club and other pharmacies.

“This addition to our pharmacy portfolio is a significant step towards our mission of providing accessible healthcare solutions to our communities across the country,” Susan Lang, CEO and founder of Visory Health, said in a statement announcing the addition of Publix.

More than 1,000 Publix pharmacies operate in the grocery chain’s 1,351 stores through Florida, the Carolinas, Tennessee, Georgia, Virginia and Alabama.

“With such a large portion of the market in Florida, we really wanted to add a pharmacy to our network that would make it easier for Floridians to get better prices,” Lang said. As we continue to expand, we are grounded in our mission to empower widespread access to affordable medication.”

How to get a Visory discount card

Customers can get a Visory card by downloading the Visory Health App in Apple’s App Store or the Google Play Store. They can then add the digital prescription card to a phone’s Apple Wallet or Google Wallet.

When filling prescriptions, customers scan the digital card at the pharmacy’s counter while paying.

For those who don’t have a digital wallet, the card is also available for download on the Rx Savings Card page on Visory Health’s website at www.visoryhealth.com.

A Visory Health card is free to use.

Who does Visory partner with?

In addition to the newly announced partnership with Publix, Visory partners directly with pharmacy chains including Walmart, Walgreens, Sam’s Club, CVS, Kroger and others. The company is expanding nationally, according to Alexandra Robertson, senior partner of growth at Visory Health. She said the company partners with 30,000 pharmacies nationwide.

If you have insurance can you use this card?

“Visory Health can be used by everyone whether or not they have insurance,” Robertson said in email responses to the Miami Herald. “The reality is that sometimes it’s cheaper to use our discount card than to use your insurance,” she said.

Visory is not insurance but can be used in place of, or with, insurance to knock off some of the cost or chip away at your copay.

If you don’t have insurance does this card cut some out-of-pocket costs?

“Visory Health can provide discounts up to 80% off the cost of prescription medications and that can mean significant savings for out of pocket expenses if you don’t have insurance. And if you do have insurance, we recommend asking your pharmacist to try Visory Health to see if you can save,” Robertson said.

Is all medicine covered by the card?

Not all medications will have a discount available.

According to Robertson at Visory Health, generally 90% of all prescriptions filled in the U.S. are generic prescriptions. “Discount cards work really well with generic drugs,” she said.

There are cases, however, where some high-cost brand drugs could be excluded from discounts.

Examples of savings

Robertson provided two popular medications for price comparisons with the discount card. The average retail price can vary by pharmacy.

▪ Atorvastatin 40mg is for cholesterol. With Visory Health the price for a 30-day supply is $10.89. Regularly, the drug can cost up to $45.

▪ Olmesartan 40mg is for blood pressure. A 30-day supply costs $11.75 with the Visory card. Regularly, the drug can cost over $200.