For patients living with chronic and rare conditions, consistent access to prescription medicines is not optional. It is critical to manage symptoms, prevent disease progression, and maintain quality of life. Too often, patients arrive at the pharmacy counter only to face prices they cannot afford. In 2024 alone, patients abandoned roughly 96 million prescriptions at pharmacies due to high costs.
As American families struggle with out-of-pocket costs for their prescriptions, new tools are helping patients access the treatments they need. Direct-to-patient platforms are tools that enable patients to search for and compare prices of prescription medicines. Patients, especially those without insurance, can directly access prescriptions at lower out-of-pocket costs by cutting out healthcare middlemen, such as pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), that add markups along the way. To take full advantage of potential savings, it’s important that patients understand how these platforms work.
Final CCPA Infographic – TrumpRx and GoodRx
Currently, purchases made through these platforms don’t count toward an insured patient’s deductible. It’s important for all patients to compare their options.
Direct-to-patient platforms are not substitutes for broader affordability reforms, but they can serve as useful resources for patients seeking clearer information about prescription drug costs. By helping patients compare prices and identify potential savings, these tools can support more informed decision-making at the pharmacy counter. Rather than overly broad pricing policies, direct-to-patient platforms advance affordability in a way that prioritizes transparency, choice, and patient access. To expand their impact further, however, insurers need to come to the table and commit to allowing purchases made through direct-to-patient platforms to count toward an insured patient’s annual deductible.
CCPA remains committed to advancing patient-centered solutions that make prescription medicines more affordable and complicated diagnoses easier to navigate for patients and families.
Download the infographic here: Final CCPA Infographic – TrumpRx and GoodRx
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