How to Use GoodRX with Medicare Part D

Updated on 3/24/26 | Written By Ken Connolly

Summary:

• Using Medicare Part D and GoodRX in tandem can lead to savings on your prescriptions

• GoodRX is a free coupon service that does not replace your insurance

• GoodRX is great for many generic prescriptions but not most brand name prescriptions

• Dropping Medicare Part D for just GoodRX is a mistake

We have helped thousands of people with their Medicare over the years, and today, we're going to tell you about the not-so-secret weapon we use to help our clients save hundreds on their prescriptions.

We use GoodRX with Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage to ensure people pay the lowest possible prescription price for their medication. In this article, we'll talk about what GoodRX is, how it works, how to use it to maximize savings and stick around until the end to discover the common mistake with GoodRX that costs people money. 

What is GoodRx?

GoodRx is a coupon service that helps lower the cost of certain prescription drugs at certain pharmacies. As of March 2026, it is not an insurance company. You can keep your current insurance and still use GoodRx.

No sign-up is necessary, and you don't even have to get a card with your name on it. Download the GoodRX app, get a GoodRX card at a pharmacy or doctor's office, or you can sometimes say, "I want the GoodRX price" at the pharmacy.

To see what GoodRX offers for your prescriptions, go to the GoodRX website or GoodRx App and type in your prescription, the dosage and frequency, and your zip code. You will then see what all the pharmacies in your area offer that prescription for.

Pro Tip: it is almost always less expensive to buy as a 3-month supply than a 1-month supply with GoodRX. 

If you find a price you like, you can transfer that prescription to the pharmacy with the lowest price and start getting a better price. To transfer your prescription, call your doctor's office and have them transfer it to the new pharmacy. 

Another pro-tip: The GoodRX copays at grocery stores (Shop-Rite, Wegman's, etc) tend to be lower compared to the GoodRX copays at traditional large pharmacies.

How To Pair GoodRX with Medicare

Medicare has certain prescriptions that are low cost, some that are medium cost, and some that are incredibly expensive. There are times that you can use GoodRX instead of your Medicare Part D plan to maximize your savings. You are still enrolled in your Medicare Part D plan, you just choose to use GoodRX for a particular drug. You don’t do them both at the same time, you choose one or the other depending on the situation.

We line up all our clients' prescriptions and compare their Medicare costs to their costs with GoodRX. We go with the lowest price across the board to help determine what is best for the client. It can seem complicated at first, but you can simply put your copays side by side like this:

Medicare Part D vs. GoodRX Comparison

The most common drugs that are often lower cost with GoodRX Are:

Some Gels & Ointments

Some Inhalers

Some Eye Drops

Certain Generic Prescriptions

You often only need a gel tube or inhaler once or twice a year. Taking a plan that focuses on your other prescriptions can be much more cost-effective while you use GoodRX for that one-time prescription fill-up.

Certain generic prescriptions are also considered Tier 3 on your Medicare drug plan and can count towards your drug plan's deductible. A Tier 3 designation can lead to high copays with your Medicare prescription plan. You may be better off using GoodRX.

Downsides To GoodRX

Now that I've told you how to potentially save hundreds of dollars with GoodRX, we have to talk about the downsides.

The biggest one is that brand-name prescriptions are costly with GoodRX. If you need a brand name prescription, GoodRX is almost never the answer. When we compare prices, the GoodRX price of a brand-name drug is usually very close to the total retail price. There are few savings to be had there.

Let's use an example. Trelegy is a common brand-name medication for COPD. Trelegy is incredibly expensive, with a retail cost of $682.53/month according to medicare.gov.

On Medicare Part D, Trelegy can have an "All-In" price of about $1800 annually here in New Jersey. That means between the premiums of your Part D drug plan and your copays at the pharmacy, you will pay around $1800 over the year. 

If you use GoodRX, that price can be around $650 to $750/month. Your "All-In" price is between $6600 and $7800 annually! Medicare is by far the better option in this example.

The Biggest Mistake People Make With GoodRX

We have helped thousands of people with their Medicare prescription drug coverage, and one of the biggest mistakes we see people make is someone coming to us and saying, "I just use GoodRX."

You almost never want to do this!

We outlined earlier that GoodRX is usually great 10-20% of the time. But in most cases, you should be using your Medicare.

Many clients see savings with GoodRX with one drug and assume that GoodRX has savings across all of their drugs. Do not fall into this trap! Continue to make side-by-side comparisons of all of your prescriptions one by one to see the best cost.

An even worse mistake is to drop your Medicare drug coverage for only GoodRX. As outlined earlier, GoodRX needs to usually doesn't cover expensive brand-name medications well. You could be stuck paying thousands of dollars in copays each year.

You can also accrue lifetime penalties with Medicare when you don't have Medicare drug coverage for extended periods. With many standalone drug plans as low as $0-$7 a month depending on where you live, we recommend having a

Summary

 

To summarize this article, use GoodRX with Medicare Part D to help maximize your savings. Medicare is the best price about 80%-90% of the time, and GoodRX is used to help with the other 10%-20%. Don't use ONLY GoodRX when looking for the best price because it is rare that all your prescriptions are the best under GoodRX. And don't drop your Medicare drug coverage in favor of only GoodRX unless you want to risk lifetime penalties.

We hope this article helps you understand how we help our clients lower their drug costs. Please send it to a friend who you think could use the advice. Comment below if you have questions or want to suggest another topic we should cover. 

If you need help with your Medicare needs, contact us here at NJ Life and Health. We have helped thousands of people nationwide with their Medicare needs and would be happy to help you.

Visit our website at www.njlifeandhealth.com or call our Toms River, NJ office at 848-226-6897 to talk to one of our licensed brokers.  

About the Author:

Ken Connolly is a licensed life and health insurance broker in New Jersey, where he has helped over 400 people with their Medicare across 7 states.