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Comment by aantix | Hacker News Reader

How do they get prescription prices so low? And why can't insurance companies negotiate similar deals?

They sell data. They might even assist insurance companies because I don’t think purchases made via GoodRx apply towards deductible/out of pocket maximum.

drug companies frequently provide rebates as a way to keep prices high to insurance companies but lower out of pocket costs to individuals - I think they do the leg work to automatically source these coupons for you and get some sort of kickback from the drug company

What's the motivation behind this?

Is it really to provide a break to the individually uninsured?

Who do they sell the data to? It's certainly not the insurer/consumer/PBM/pharmacy. Each of those groups already has near total visibility as is.

Supposedly drug companies according to this pharmacist around 5 min mark:

https://youtu.be/bUVbX3-gOWc

I am not sure either, but I can’t figure out what other play there is than selling data.

Life insurance companies (speculation - but they won't have the visibility into Barry Boomer's cholesterol meds that his health insurer will)

You typically have to give permission for life insurance companies to access all of your medical history when you apply for it.

From your doctor, sure - but from databases of who bought what that the pt consented to be in as a condition of getting a discount? Is GoodRx a HIPAA covered entity? (Not being rhetorical; don't actually know.)

Purchases made via GoodRx almost always apply towards your deductible.

https://www.goodrx.com/blog/how-to-use-goodrx-with-high-dedu...

Interesting, I wonder why the insurance companies would let someone else undercut them.

I was partly going by information from this pharmacist:

https://youtu.be/bUVbX3-gOWc

GoodRx does not sell anyone's data.

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