Buying Health Care
Purchasing Prescription Medicine

- The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) helps patients take an active role in their health care plan by providing a series of questions and issues you should raise with your doctor, pharmacist or nurse when prescribed medications.

- The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the National Council on Patient Information and Education (NCPIE) offer this guide to medication safety. It answers common questions about getting and taking medicines and has many forms that will help you keep track of information. Keep this guide with your medicines in case you have any questions or concerns.

- This Web site offers consumer-friendly reports that compare common prescription drugs on effectiveness and cost. The reports are based on studies conducted at the Oregon Health and Science University and supported by a twelve-state initiative that includes the State of Minnesota.

- The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) answers a series of frequently asked questions about generic drugs. It also refers consumers to the Food and Drug Administration's toll-free hotline (1-800-532-4440) to answer questions about drug safety and efficacy.

- Minnesota RxConnect Online was created to provide Minnesotans information on issues related to prescription medicine, safety and cost-saving tips, and programs to help low-income Minnesotans pay for prescription medications. It also provides information about accessing lower-cost prescription medicine from Canada.

- This site sponsored by the Access to Benefits Coalition, uses an on-line questionnaire to help people find private and public programs to help save money on prescription drugs.

- The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Associate (PhRMA) developed this interactive site to inform users about medicines offered through patient assistance programs sponsored by PhRMA member and non-member companies as well as government and local organizations.

- The Minnesota Pharmacists Association (MPhA) is a professional pharmacy association that created this site to provide consumer information on prescription and non-prescription drugs, medication safety, and tips on importing prescriptions.

- This site sponsored by the Minnesota Board on Aging helps seniors navigate through the wide range of options for help in lowering seniors' prescription drug costs.

- Minnesota Advantage Meds is a mail order pharmacy for state employees and dependents.

- Information from the federal government on Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage.

- Medicare.gov gives seniors the Medicare Personal Plan Finder tool. It helps seniors find a list of Medicare health plan choices in their geographic area, along with benefit descriptions and other information to help choose the plan that's right for them.