Access to affordable healthcare is an issue for many Northwest Indiana residents. The City of Portage recently welcomed GENERx Pharmacy as a solution to that problem.
As Northwest Indiana’s first insurance-free pharmacy, GENERx Pharmacy provides quality medications with short wait times and personalized service.
Offering prescriptions for everything from family planning to thyroid and heart health, customers will find prescriptions ranging from $4-$18.
GENERx Pharmacy, which opened in January of 2024, credits its savings to taking money out of the pockets of insurance companies and pharmacy benefit managers.
“Pharmacy benefit managers are supposed to represent the insured in negotiating drug costs, set formularies, and different tiers of medications,” said Rami Ahmed, pharmacist/owner of GENERx Pharmacy. “Pharmacy benefit managers have generated billions of dollars and now own a lot of the retail, specialty, and mail order pharmacies.”
By removing these additional costs, GENERx Pharmacy is able to provide better than insurance pricing for prescriptions.
For example, common cholesterol medication is available for $6 for 30 days or $12 for 90. Mental health prescriptions range from $4-$19, and antibiotics cost between $4-$9.
Additional prescription information is available on GENERx Pharmacy’s savings website.
“On March 4, we launched our prescription program with a variety of commonly prescribed medications to the public,” said Ahmed. “This program doesn't involve any enrollment but simply a valid prescription.”
Although simple, this method of pharmacy is new to many.
“In order to keep the costs down and provide affordable medication to the public, I have decided to forgo the traditional model and provide the community with lower-cost alternatives that avoid the frustrations, lengthy wait times, and higher costs at the pharmacy counter,” said Ahmed.
This unique but vital operation allows Ahmed and GENERx Pharmacy to not only provide affordable medications but also spend additional time with patients.
“Operating the way we do allows me the flexibility to spend additional time with our patients at the counter educating them on their prescriptions,” said Ahmed.
Choosing Portage, Indiana as the location for GENERx Pharmacy was an easy one for Ahmed.
“Portage is centrally located around several neighboring communities,” said Ahmed. “This location allows us to not only serve Portage but also its surrounding communities.”
GENERx Pharmacy is a recent addition to Northwest Indiana, but Ahmed has big plans on the horizon.
“We hope to expand our list of medications as we continue to receive feedback from the community,” said Ahmed.
If customers are interested in a prescription not currently available at GENERx Pharmacy, there are multiple options for requesting needed medications.
“We have plenty of medications in stock, and if patients do not see what they are looking for they can always pay us a visit in store, call, email, or message us directly on Facebook,” said Ahmed.
Currently, GENERx Pharmacy is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m.- 6:00 p.m. with plans to expand to weekend service in the future. To learn more about GENERx Pharmacy, please visit the pharmacy at 5940 US Route 6 in Portage or its website at generxdrugs.com Information about the City of Portage can be found at portagein.gov.