I ran across this while doing some research on insurance and it looks too good to be true. I currently have 2 prescriptions, though I could probably be fine without either of them. One of the drugs is slightly less out of pocket compared to Walgreens (without insurance). The other is 20x less at CostPlus than if I pay out of pocket at Walgreens.
If I can get the prescriptions cheaper by paying out of pocket than by using insurance, I'd rather do that. The downside is that it's mail order, but that's also a potential positive.
I have not used it, but this is sort of what I do for a living. To wit, your free consumer advice:
1a. Product selection is important - if you're taking generics, as I am, great, you will likely find them there. Brands -- or at least brands with much savings -- not so much.
1b. Note also, if you take multiple meds, some brands and some generics, be cautious about the fact that without all of your Rx records, a pharmacy's drug utilization review tools may not be as good at picking up interactions, etc. (This is a risk of polypharmacy)
2. Be VERY careful about price/savings claims.
a. You should completely ignore anything that is phrased as % off, because those claims are based on list prices which, in the case of generic drugs, are COMPLETELY irrelevant to both pharmacy acquisition cost and consumer price.
b. You could/should compare dead net prices. Without a doubt, they'll have fair prices. But the reality is that many traditional outlets have various forms of "low cost generic" programs that offer comparable savings, which if you like a brick and mortar experience, may be a price wash. (For regulatory reasons, these brick and mortar programs, including WaG's, entail the payment of a modest up front membership fee).
c. Compare apples to apples. If you have insurance, that comparison is your insurance copay (which in some cases for gx might be zero) to the cash price at Cubano's.
3. Re: cash v insurance, yes, it is generally fine and dandy if cash price is lower than insurance out of pocket. Note though that if you deductibles or OOP maxes are relevant to your finances or health conditions, you should check whether you can get credit for the cash expenditures to those amounts under your insurance policy.
4. Finally, don't know if you saw this the other day, but AMZN has a new offer out there too. Basically, as an add-on to Prime, for a fixed cash fee (the number of which escapes me), you can get an unlimited number of program generics each month -- basically like insurance capitation. So if you are taking a lot of program meds, it could be a great value. If you like Amazon, of course.