Many major pharmacies have home delivery services that often cost no more than what you already pay for your medicine.
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Avoiding stores and getting your necessities delivered to your door is not just convenient, it's very necessary in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Luckily, you can get basically anything you want without stepping into a store -- including your prescriptions.
Prescription delivery services can be a game-changer if you're unable to go the standard pharmacy route for your prescription refill. Of course, finding a way to get your prescription medication delivered is very important if you are home sick and don't want to spread germs, but there are so many other reasons a patient may want to get their medication delivered direct to their door.
Seniors might have trouble making it to the pharmacy. Women may not have time to pick up their birth control each month. It can be easy to become disorganized and fall behind on refills for maintenance medications. A medicine delivery helps in all of these situations and more.
Below is an overview of the top services you can try (although not formally tested by CNET), as well as pharmacies that currently offer delivery.
Amazon
Amazon Pharmacy is a new online pharmacy that offers prescription refills and free delivery for Amazon Prime members. Amazon takes your health insurance to help pay for your medications and is also if you aren't using health insurance. Amazon Pharmacy lets customers compare prescription costs for their medications with an insurance co-pay, without insurance and the Prime Discount, so they can find the least-expensive option.
PillPack
PillPack is a medication delivery service owned and operated by Amazon that offers free delivery, and takes most types of health insurance. PillPack accepts most forms of Medicare, and Medicaid programs in New Hampshire, Ohio and Texas, and several specific plans nationwide. The service does not cost anything more than what you pay for medication, which is a great deal considering the extra benefits you get compared to a standard pharmacy service.
Once you get your prescriptions set up to be filled through PillPack, you simply pay the copay for your medication, and your medications will be shipped to you every month.
Besides offering free delivery, those extra benefits include organizing and separating your medications for each day. Every day's pills are placed into a convenient single-serve pack, and the time you are supposed to take them is even printed on the front. This is a huge perk if you take a lot of medications and spend time sorting them out, and also if you have difficulty remembering what time you are supposed to take your pills. I
If you are a caretaker for someone else, this can also be a huge time saver. Another thing you can do is add supplements, like a multivitamin or probiotic, to your packs so everything you need to take is in one place.
CVS
CVS Pharmacy offers one- to two-day delivery and same day (on-demand) delivery in most cities. Same day delivery is usually fulfilled within hours, which is great for when you need your meds ASAP.
CVS does charge a delivery fee for prescriptions, but some health insurance plans may cover the fee, including Medicare Part D. You can also add other essentials, like tissues or cough drops, to your prescription order and they will be delivered at no extra fee. If you join CVS' membership program, CarePass for $5 a month, you get free delivery for your prescriptions, plus free one- to two-day delivery for other items.
It's important to remember that ordering items from CVS.com is not the same service as prescription delivery, so those will take several days or longer to ship. If you use Target's pharmacy service, CVS Pharmacy at Target, you can get free one- to two-day home delivery as well, since Target partners with CVS to fulfill your prescriptions.