Jardiance Cost in Maryland 2026: Prices, Insurance, Medicaid, and Compounded Options

What Is the Cash Price of Jardiance in Maryland in 2026?

The manufacturer's suggested retail price for Jardiance sits at approximately $680 per month in Maryland for both the 10 mg and 25 mg tablet strengths in 2026. Retail pharmacy cash prices across the state track closely to that figure because empagliflozin has no FDA-approved generic equivalent as of mid-2025. Patients paying fully out of pocket have few options to reduce that number without a manufacturer savings card, insurance coverage, or a compounding pharmacy prescription.

Empagliflozin is the active ingredient in Jardiance, a sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitor approved by the FDA for type 2 diabetes, heart failure, and chronic kidney disease (CKD) [1]. Because the patent remains active, brand-name pricing dominates the Maryland market. GoodRx and similar coupon platforms occasionally list prices near $580, $640 at specific Maryland chain pharmacies, but those figures change week to week and are not guaranteed at every location.

A 30-day supply of Jardiance 10 mg at major Maryland chains (CVS, Rite Aid, Giant, Walmart Pharmacy) averages $672, $695 before any discount as of early 2026. Costco Pharmacy in Maryland tends to run $15, $30 lower than chain competitors due to its member pricing structure, though membership costs roughly $65/year.

For context, the EMPA-REG OUTCOME trial (N=7,020) established that empagliflozin 10 mg or 25 mg reduced the composite of cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or nonfatal stroke by 14% relative to placebo (HR 0.86 to 95% CI 0.74, 0.99, P<0.001 for non-inferiority and P=0.04 for superiority) [2]. That cardiovascular mortality benefit, a 38% relative risk reduction in CV death (HR 0.62 to 95% CI 0.49, 0.77), is why Jardiance is now standard of care in multiple guidelines despite its price [2].

Does Maryland Medicaid Cover Jardiance?

Maryland Medicaid covers Jardiance for eligible beneficiaries, but the program requires prior authorization (PA) before dispensing. Without PA approval, the claim will be denied at the pharmacy counter.

Maryland Medicaid (HealthChoice managed care and fee-for-service tracks) lists Jardiance on its preferred drug list with a PA requirement tied to documentation of type 2 diabetes diagnosis, a contraindication or intolerance to metformin, or a qualifying cardiovascular or renal condition [3]. The 2023 American Diabetes Association Standards of Care recommend SGLT2 inhibitors as second-line agents for patients with type 2 diabetes and established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, heart failure, or CKD, which is precisely the population Maryland Medicaid tends to approve [4].

How to get PA approved in Maryland Medicaid:

1. Your prescriber documents the qualifying diagnosis (T2D, HFrEF, HFpEF, or CKD stage 2, 4 with albuminuria).
2. The prescriber submits a PA request through the Maryland Department of Health's portal or via fax to the managed care organization (MCO) covering you.
3. Standard PA turnaround is 3 business days; urgent PA is 24 hours.
4. If denied, you have the right to a formal appeal and a physician-to-physician peer-to-peer review.

Maryland Medicaid members enrolled in MCOs (CareFirst, Kaiser Permanente Mid-Atlantic, Maryland Physicians Care, MedStar Family Choice, Priority Partners, United Healthcare Community Plan) each manage their own formulary, so the exact tier placement and copay can vary by plan. Most Maryland Medicaid enrollees pay $0, $3 per fill once PA is approved. The ADA's 2024 guidelines state: "For people with type 2 diabetes and established CVD, heart failure, or CKD, an SGLT2 inhibitor with proven cardiovascular or kidney benefit is recommended" [4].

Which Commercial Insurance Plans in Maryland Cover Jardiance?

Most commercial insurance plans sold in Maryland cover Jardiance, though the tier and copay vary widely. Knowing your tier matters because it directly determines your monthly cost.

Major Maryland insurers covering Jardiance in 2026 include CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, Aetna, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare, and Kaiser Permanente Mid-Atlantic. Jardiance typically lands on Tier 2 (preferred brand) or Tier 3 (non-preferred brand) depending on the plan [5]. Tier 2 copays in Maryland average $40, $60 per fill; Tier 3 copays average $75, $120 per fill before any deductible is met.

During the Medicare Part D coverage gap (the "donut hole"), patients pay no more than 25% of the plan's cost for covered brand-name drugs under the Inflation Reduction Act changes effective 2024 [6]. For Medicare Advantage plans in Maryland, Jardiance placement ranges from Tier 2 to Tier 5 depending on the specific plan, so reviewing the Annual Notice of Change each fall is the fastest way to catch a tier shift before it affects your January fill.

Employer-sponsored plans administered through large carriers generally cover Jardiance when an SGLT2 inhibitor is indicated, especially after the EMPEROR-Reduced trial (N=3,730) showed empagliflozin reduced the composite of CV death or heart failure hospitalization by 25% (HR 0.75 to 95% CI 0.65, 0.86, P<0.001) [7]. That level of outcome data gives pharmacy benefit managers strong clinical justification to include it on formulary.

Steps to check your Maryland plan's Jardiance coverage:

• Log in to your insurer's member portal and search the formulary by drug name.
• Call the member services number on your insurance card and ask for the "formulary tier and estimated copay for Jardiance 10 mg, 30-tablet supply."
• Ask your prescriber's office to run a coverage check through their electronic prescribing system before sending the prescription.

How Does the Boehringer Ingelheim / Lilly Savings Card Work in Maryland?

The Jardiance savings card can reduce out-of-pocket costs to $0 for commercially insured Maryland patients and as low as $10, $35 for those without insurance, subject to annual maximums.

Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly co-market Jardiance and jointly sponsor a patient savings program. Commercially insured patients who are not enrolled in any federal or state government health program (Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, VA) may pay $0 per month, with a maximum benefit cap that the manufacturers update annually [8]. As of 2025, the program caps savings at approximately $150 per fill or $1,800 per calendar year for eligible patients. Patients without insurance can use the savings card to bring costs to as low as $10 per fill, subject to program terms.

Maryland residents can enroll through the Jardiance website, download the savings card, and present it at any participating retail pharmacy in the state. The card works at CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, Rite Aid, Giant, Safeway, and most independent pharmacies in Baltimore, Bethesda, Rockville, Annapolis, and across the state.

Who does NOT qualify: Medicare Part D enrollees, Medicaid beneficiaries, and TRICARE members are federally excluded from manufacturer savings programs under anti-kickback statute carve-outs. If you fall into one of these categories, the card will be rejected at the pharmacy counter.

The FDA label for Jardiance, accessible through the FDA's electronic submission portal, outlines the full approved indication set that insurers and PA reviewers reference when evaluating coverage requests [1].

Is Compounded Empagliflozin Legal in Maryland?

Compounded empagliflozin is legal in Maryland when prepared by a state-licensed 503A compounding pharmacy operating under a valid patient-specific prescription. It is not interchangeable with FDA-approved Jardiance, and the FDA has not added empagliflozin to any shortage list that would make broader 503B outsourcing-facility compounding permissible as of mid-2025.

Under Section 503A of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, a compounding pharmacy licensed by the Maryland Board of Pharmacy may prepare empagliflozin formulations from bulk active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) when a licensed prescriber writes a patient-specific prescription [9]. The prescription must be for an individual patient, not for office-use stock. Maryland pharmacies engaged in 503A compounding must also comply with United States Pharmacopeia (USP) Chapter 795 standards for non-sterile compounding.

What this means practically:

• A telehealth prescriber licensed in Maryland can write a prescription for compounded empagliflozin sent to a Maryland 503A pharmacy.
• The compounding pharmacy sources bulk empagliflozin API and prepares capsules or a custom formulation.
• Cost to the patient can be substantially lower than $680/month, with some pharmacies pricing 30-day supplies in the range of $60, $150 depending on dose and formulation.
• Compounded products are not FDA-approved and have not been subject to the same bioequivalence testing as brand-name Jardiance.

The Maryland Board of Pharmacy maintains a public list of licensed compounding pharmacies at health.maryland.gov. Patients should verify that any pharmacy filling a compounded empagliflozin prescription holds an active Maryland pharmacy license and is registered with the FDA as a 503A compounder if they operate across state lines.

The EMPA-KIDNEY trial (N=6,609) demonstrated that empagliflozin 10 mg reduced the risk of progression of kidney disease or cardiovascular death by 28% (HR 0.72 to 95% CI 0.64, 0.82, P<0.001) in patients with CKD [10]. That trial outcome reinforces why prescribers are motivated to find cost-accessible paths for patients who need the drug long-term.

Can I Get Jardiance via Telehealth in Maryland?

Yes. Maryland law allows telehealth prescribing of Jardiance by licensed physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants, provided a valid prescriber-patient relationship exists and appropriate clinical evaluation has occurred.

Maryland adopted permanent telehealth prescribing authority in 2023, building on waivers issued during the COVID-19 public health emergency. A prescriber licensed in Maryland may evaluate a patient via synchronous video visit, assess relevant labs (HbA1c, eGFR, urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio), and issue a Jardiance prescription electronically [11]. Maryland does not require an in-person visit before prescribing Jardiance via telehealth for established clinical indications.

HealthRX clinicians licensed in Maryland routinely prescribe empagliflozin after reviewing:

• Baseline HbA1c (target assessment for T2D indication)
• eGFR (Jardiance is not recommended when eGFR <20 mL/min/1.73 m²; FDA label guidance)
• Blood pressure and volume status (SGLT2 inhibitors carry a small risk of symptomatic hypotension)
• Urogenital infection history (genital mycotic infections occur in approximately 9.7% of women and 4.2% of men taking empagliflozin in trial data) [12]

A telehealth visit for Jardiance at HealthRX typically takes 20 to 30 minutes. The prescriber sends the prescription directly to your preferred Maryland pharmacy or to a compounding pharmacy of your choice.

What Are the Clinical Indications That Justify Jardiance's Price?

Empagliflozin's price reflects a drug with three separate FDA-approved indications backed by large cardiovascular and renal outcome trials. Understanding those indications helps patients make the case to insurers or PA reviewers for coverage.

FDA-approved indications for empagliflozin in the United States:

1. Glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes (as adjunct to diet and exercise) [1]
2. Reduction of cardiovascular death and hospitalization for heart failure in adults with HFrEF and HFpEF [1]
3. Reduction of sustained eGFR decline, end-stage kidney disease, cardiovascular death, and hospitalization for heart failure in adults with CKD [1]

EMPA-REG OUTCOME enrolled 7,020 adults with T2D and high cardiovascular risk across 42 countries. At a median follow-up of 3.1 years, empagliflozin reduced all-cause mortality by 32% (HR 0.68 to 95% CI 0.57, 0.82, P<0.001) and reduced hospitalization for heart failure by 35% (HR 0.65 to 95% CI 0.50, 0.85, P<0.001) [2]. Those numbers are the reason guidelines from the American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association, and the American Diabetes Association all recommend SGLT2 inhibitors as foundational therapy for relevant patients [4][13].

The EMPEROR-Preserved trial (N=5,988) extended empagliflozin's heart failure indication to patients with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF, EF >40%). Empagliflozin reduced the composite endpoint of CV death or HF hospitalization by 21% (HR 0.79 to 95% CI 0.69, 0.90, P<0.001) [14]. That result is notable because few drugs have shown benefit in HFpEF specifically.

What's the Cheapest Way to Get Jardiance in Maryland?

The lowest-cost path depends on your insurance status, income, and clinical situation. A short decision framework follows.

If you have commercial insurance: Use the Boehringer Ingelheim/Lilly savings card. Your out-of-pocket cost could reach $0/month. This is the single fastest cost reduction available to commercially insured Maryland patients.

If you have Maryland Medicaid: Work with your prescriber to submit a PA demonstrating a qualifying indication. Approved PA typically results in $0, $3/month copay. The Maryland Department of Health provides PA criteria at health.maryland.gov [3].

If you are uninsured or underinsured: Three options exist in parallel. First, apply for the Boehringer Ingelheim/Lilly patient assistance program (Lilly Cares Foundation), which may provide Jardiance at no cost for patients below 400% of the federal poverty level [8]. Second, request a prescription for compounded empagliflozin from a Maryland-licensed prescriber and fill it at a licensed 503A pharmacy. Third, check NeedyMeds.org for additional Maryland-specific pharmaceutical assistance programs.

If you are on Medicare Part D: You cannot use the manufacturer savings card. Apply for Extra Help (Low Income Subsidy) through the Social Security Administration if your income and assets qualify. Extra Help can reduce Part D copays for Tier 3 drugs to $10, $20 per fill [6]. Alternatively, discuss with your prescriber whether the clinical profile supports an appeal to your Part D plan for Tier 2 placement via exceptions process.

The ADA's 2024 Standards of Care explicitly address cost: "Cost-related medication nonadherence is common and should be assessed. Clinicians should be aware of the cost of medications and discuss options with patients" [4]. Structured cost conversations at the prescribing visit cut nonadherence by a measurable margin.

How Empagliflozin Works and Why Dose Matters

Empagliflozin blocks SGLT2 transporters in the proximal tubule of the kidney, preventing reabsorption of approximately 90 grams of glucose per day and excreting it in urine. That glucosuria accounts for HbA1c reductions of 0.5 to 0.8% from baseline at 10 mg and 0.6 to 0.9% at 25 mg in trials with baseline HbA1c averaging 8.0% [2].

The 10 mg dose is standard for starting therapy. Prescribers titrate to 25 mg for additional glycemic control in patients tolerating the lower dose. For heart failure and CKD indications, the approved dose is 10 mg once daily. Titrating beyond 10 mg does not add cardiovascular or renal benefit in those populations based on current FDA label guidance [1].

Secondary effects include osmotic diuresis (contributing roughly 1 to 2 mmHg systolic blood pressure reduction), modest weight loss of 2 to 3 kg in trials [2], and a small but real risk of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), particularly in insulin-dependent patients and those with very low carbohydrate intake. The DKA signal is more pronounced with SGLT2 inhibitors in type 1 diabetes, which is why empagliflozin carries no FDA approval for T1D in the United States [1].

The CREDENCE trial predecessor using canagliflozin (a related SGLT2 inhibitor) and the subsequent EMPA-KIDNEY trial together established that the renal benefits of SGLT2 inhibition extend across a broad eGFR range. In EMPA-KIDNEY, patients with eGFR as low as 20 mL/min/1.73 m² were enrolled, and benefit persisted in that subgroup [10]. The FDA updated Jardiance's label in 2023 to allow initiation at eGFR ≥20 mL/min/1.73 m² for the CKD and heart failure indications [1].

Monitoring Requirements and Safety in Maryland Clinical Practice

Maryland prescribers following standard of care check a panel of labs before and during empagliflozin therapy. Knowing these requirements helps telehealth patients prepare for their visit.

Before starting Jardiance:

• Complete metabolic panel (serum creatinine, BUN, electrolytes)
• Calculated eGFR (CKD-EPI equation)
• Urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR)
• HbA1c (for diabetes indication)
• Blood pressure

At 4 to 8 weeks after initiation:

• Repeat creatinine and eGFR (an acute dip of 5 to 10% is expected and not a reason to stop)
• Blood pressure check (watch for orthostatic symptoms in patients on loop diuretics)

Ongoing (every 3 to 6 months):

• HbA1c for T2D patients
• Annual UACR for CKD patients
• Genital hygiene assessment (genital mycotic infection risk is highest in the first months of therapy) [12]

The FDA label includes a boxed warning for lower-limb amputation (observed with canagliflozin, the related SGLT2 inhibitor, in the CANVAS trial) but notes the signal was not statistically significant with empagliflozin in EMPA-REG OUTCOME [1]. Maryland prescribers generally document a foot exam at initiation for patients with peripheral vascular disease.

The American Heart Association's 2022 Guideline for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Heart Failure states: "In patients with HFrEF, SGLT2 inhibitors are recommended to reduce the risk of HF hospitalization and cardiovascular mortality" (Class I, Level of Evidence A) [13].