The only way for low-income individual to get a valid prescription is to go to the doctor, which is expensive. I guess there's a law in US that prohibits selling drugs without prescription. But if you know what medication you need then you don't have a choice but to pay for a doctor visit. For example, in Ukraine absolute majority of medications can be bought without prescription (except medications that are used by drug-addicts).
There is (as far as I know) always a valid reason that medications require a prescription, not the least of which being to protect uneducated consumers from ingesting harmful dosages/combinations. Seeing a physician to have them prescribe medication can be expensive, sure, but the medication itself is also very expensive. Lowering/eliminating the cost of seeing a physician is a different problem entirely. This seems like a fantastic step in the right direction to make medication more affordable after a qualified physician prescribes it.
Prescription medication can be extremely expensive without good (expensive) health insurance, especially if there is no "generic brand" version of the drug available. Think hundreds of dollars per refill. I think that's the pain point they're trying to solve.
some patients have reported costs in the $1-2K for prescriptions for just 1 month. That's definitely on the higher end but even if someone has multiple chronic diseases (diabetes, high blood pressure) co-pays of $10 or $20 dollars per medicine add up quickly.
Healthcare is definitely expensive in the U.S. but we work with a network of clinics that offer free or low-cost care. By helping these clinics access donated medicine, it reduces the amount they spend on buying meds and they can pass savings onto patients.
