FREE HEALTH INSURANCE QUOTES Start here...

Select Insurance Type:

Individual Health Group Health Small Business Health Short Term Health Family Health Medicare Supplemental Travel Insurance

Zip code:

In a strange twist, a study released this week by the University of Chicago Medical Center found that those patients who receive free drug samples from their doctors end up having significantly higher health insurance costs than those who do not, specifically in terms of out-of-pocket costs.

According to MSN Health, patients who received free samples spent about $166 in out-of-pocket costs on prescription drugs in the six months before receiving the samples, $244 for the six months in which they received samples, and $212 for the six months following receipt of the free drugs. Meanwhile, patients who didn't get free samples spent about $178 on prescription drugs over six months, saving considerably on their overall health insurance costs.

What's going on here? One theory is that those who are given free samples are sicker people, but the other theory makes just as much sense; that is, people who don't have good health insurance aren't given samples, while those who do are not only given the free drugs, but go on to use those same, more expensive drugs exclusively.

This fact serves as yet another reminder that whenever possible, it's best to use the generic drugs that are available to American consumers. These drugs often cost a fraction of what newer drugs can cost, have been on the market longer and are therefore often safer, and are just as effective.

Furthermore, it's often easier to find a decent health insurance plan that only covers generics in the first place. And having some drug coverage is always better than having none and then being forced to pay too much for designer medications.