Free prescriptions will soon be a thing of the past at Publix pharmacies.
The program is set to end on June 1. A pharmacist in Lehigh Acres confirmed it to WINK News.
In 2020, Publix celebrated the milestone of 100 million prescriptions filled under its free medication program.
Publix has yet to respond to questions from WINK News about the decision.
The program helped people like Thomas Kotula who turned to the pharmacy when he was down and out.
“That’s one of the reasons we like to go there is,” Kotula said. “When we had no money.”
Publix offers a free prescription program for drugs like amoxicillin, lisinopril, metformin and amlodipine.
Carol Roll said if there was cost involved to get her medication, she would go somewhere else.
“I think they’re making a mistake. I’m not sure why because it’s not costing them and amlodipine is a generic drug, and it’s not costing them that much. And to raise the prices is not good,” said Laurel Click, a snowbird.
According to West Orlando News in Central Florida, a flyer is being handed out to customers telling them of the change.
The once-free drugs could cost around $7.50 for a 14-day prescription and that cost is costing them customers.
“We’ll probably start going to some other places a little bit more,” Kotula said.
Generic prescriptions were free of copays.
Many of the free drugs go for $4 at Walmart.
Click’s husband has atrial fibrillation, that’s when someone has an irregular heart rhythm which can lead to blood clots in the heart.
“He has to have amoxicillin every time he has dental work or any other kind of work that that blood is involved,” Click said. “Raising the price on it is, I don’t know. I think that’s bad … And it’s not just old people that take amoxicillin for various reasons. I think it’s going to impact people.”
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