Crestor (Rosuvastatin) Cost in New Jersey: 2026 Prices, Insurance, and Savings

What Does Rosuvastatin Actually Cost in New Jersey in 2026?

Generic rosuvastatin at a New Jersey retail pharmacy runs roughly $15 per month without insurance, making it one of the most affordable statins on the market. Brand-name Crestor from AstraZeneca still lists at approximately $290 per month, though almost no one pays that figure out of pocket given the availability of generics and discount tools.

The gap between brand and generic pricing reflects a pattern common across the statin class. After Crestor lost patent exclusivity in 2016, multiple manufacturers began producing rosuvastatin calcium tablets, and market competition drove the cash price down by more than 90%. The FDA's Orange Book lists over a dozen approved generic formulations of rosuvastatin across all dose strengths (5 mg, 10 mg, 20 mg, and 40 mg).

Prices vary by pharmacy. Costco, Walmart, and several New Jersey-based independents frequently offer 30-day generic rosuvastatin supplies for under $10. Big-chain pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens tend to price slightly higher at the cash register but accept discount cards that bring the cost into a comparable range. A 90-day mail-order supply through services like Amazon Pharmacy or Cost Plus Drugs may reduce the per-tablet cost even further.

For patients on the 40 mg dose, the price per tablet is typically identical to the 5 mg dose when purchasing generics. This is not always true for brand Crestor, where higher strengths can carry modestly higher list prices.

How New Jersey Medicaid Handles Rosuvastatin

New Jersey Medicaid covers rosuvastatin, but prescribers must obtain prior authorization before the claim will process. The PA requirement exists because the state's preferred drug list (PDL) favors certain statins over others for first-line use, and the NJ Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services periodically updates which agents sit on preferred tiers.

In practice, prior authorization for rosuvastatin is approved at high rates when the prescriber documents one of two scenarios: the patient tried and failed a preferred statin (typically atorvastatin or simvastatin), or the patient has a clinical indication where rosuvastatin is specifically supported by guideline evidence. The 2018 AHA/ACC Cholesterol Guideline identifies rosuvastatin 20 to 40 mg as a high-intensity statin option, alongside atorvastatin 40 to 80 mg, for patients requiring aggressive LDL-C lowering [1].

New Jersey Medicaid managed care organizations (MCOs), including Amerigroup, Aetna Better Health, Horizon NJ Health, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan, and WellCare, each maintain their own formularies. Some MCOs place generic rosuvastatin on Tier 2 (preferred generic) without PA, while others follow the state's PA requirement. Patients should verify their specific MCO formulary or call the member services number on their card.

For dual-eligible beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare Part D alongside Medicaid, the Part D plan formulary governs statin coverage. Most Part D plans in New Jersey include rosuvastatin on Tier 1 or Tier 2 with copays between $0 and $10 [2].

Insurance Coverage for Crestor and Generic Rosuvastatin in NJ

The vast majority of commercial insurance plans sold in New Jersey cover generic rosuvastatin. It lands on Tier 1 (lowest copay) on most formularies.

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, the state's largest insurer, lists rosuvastatin on its generic tier across OMNIA, Direct Access, and Advantage EPO plans. Oxford Health Plans (UnitedHealthcare), Cigna, and Aetna follow similar placement. Typical Tier 1 copays in New Jersey range from $0 to $15 per 30-day fill, meaning many insured patients pay the same or less than the cash price.

Brand-name Crestor, on the other hand, sits on non-preferred brand tiers (Tier 3 or higher) on virtually all New Jersey commercial formularies. Copays for non-preferred brands commonly fall between $40 and $75 per fill, and some plans require step therapy through generic rosuvastatin before covering brand Crestor at any tier.

The Affordable Care Act's preventive services mandate requires that statin therapy for adults aged 40 to 75 with cardiovascular risk factors be covered with no cost-sharing when prescribed per USPSTF recommendations. The USPSTF Grade B recommendation for statin use applies to adults with at least one CVD risk factor and a 10-year ASCVD risk of 10% or greater [3]. Under this provision, qualifying New Jersey patients may receive generic rosuvastatin with a $0 copay on ACA-compliant plans.

Compounded Rosuvastatin: Legal Options in New Jersey

Compounded rosuvastatin is available through licensed 503A compounding pharmacies operating in New Jersey. Section 503A of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act permits state-licensed pharmacies to compound medications based on individual patient prescriptions, provided they meet specific conditions: a valid patient-prescriber relationship exists, the compounded product is not essentially a copy of a commercially available drug, and the pharmacy does not compound in anticipation of receiving prescriptions beyond limited quantities [4].

New Jersey's Board of Pharmacy regulates 503A compounding under N.J.A.C. 13:39-11, which sets standards for ingredient sourcing, beyond-use dating, and quality assurance. A compounding pharmacy in New Jersey can legally prepare rosuvastatin in alternative dosage forms (suspensions for patients who cannot swallow tablets, for example) or in non-standard dose strengths when a prescriber determines that a commercially available product does not meet the patient's needs.

Some telehealth platforms and direct-pay clinics advertise compounded rosuvastatin at very low or zero cost as part of bundled membership programs. Patients considering this route should verify that the dispensing pharmacy holds an active New Jersey compounding license and sources rosuvastatin API (active pharmaceutical ingredient) from an FDA-registered supplier. The quality and bioavailability of compounded oral tablets or capsules may differ from FDA-approved generic products, since compounded medications do not undergo the same bioequivalence testing required for ANDA-approved generics.

For most patients, the low cost of FDA-approved generic rosuvastatin ($15 per month or less) makes compounding unnecessary from a cost perspective alone. Compounding fills a clinical niche: pediatric dosing, dye-free formulations, or patients with specific excipient allergies.

Telehealth Prescribing of Rosuvastatin in New Jersey

Telehealth prescribing of rosuvastatin is legal in New Jersey. The state's telehealth parity law (P.L. 2017, c.117) requires commercial insurers and Medicaid MCOs to cover telehealth-delivered services on par with in-person visits, including prescribing of non-controlled medications like statins.

New Jersey does not require an in-person visit before a telehealth provider can prescribe rosuvastatin. A licensed physician, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant can evaluate a patient's lipid panel results, cardiovascular risk profile, and medication history via synchronous video or audio-only encounter and issue a rosuvastatin prescription to any New Jersey pharmacy.

Several national telehealth platforms operate in New Jersey and include statin management as part of their cardiovascular or metabolic health programs. Visit costs range from $0 (for insured patients) to $50 to $75 per consultation on cash-pay platforms. Patients who already have recent lab work (a lipid panel within the past 12 months) can often complete the entire encounter in under 15 minutes.

The JUPITER trial (N=17,802) demonstrated that rosuvastatin 20 mg reduced the incidence of major cardiovascular events by 44% (HR 0.56; 95% CI, 0.46 to 0.69; P<0.00001) in apparently healthy individuals with elevated high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and LDL-C below 130 mg/dL [5]. That finding expanded the clinical rationale for prescribing rosuvastatin to a broader population, including patients identified through telehealth screening who might not otherwise visit a lipid specialist in person.

Discount Programs and Savings Cards Available in New Jersey

Multiple discount pathways exist for New Jersey residents filling rosuvastatin prescriptions. They are not mutually exclusive with each other in every case, but they cannot stack with insurance copays.

GoodRx and Similar Discount Cards. GoodRx, RxSaver, and SingleCare offer free discount cards that reduce the cash price of generic rosuvastatin to between $4 and $12 at participating New Jersey pharmacies. These cards function as a negotiated cash rate between the discount platform and the pharmacy benefit manager. They are most useful for uninsured patients or for insured patients whose copay exceeds the discount card price.

Manufacturer Savings Programs. AstraZeneca has historically offered a Crestor savings card for commercially insured patients, reducing brand copays to as low as $3 per fill. Because generic rosuvastatin is already inexpensive, this card is primarily relevant for the small number of patients whose prescribers specify brand-name Crestor due to documented intolerance of generic formulations. The savings card does not apply to government-insured patients (Medicare, Medicaid, Tricare).

NJ Pharmaceutical Assistance Programs. New Jersey operates two state-funded programs for residents who need help affording medications:

• PAAD (Pharmaceutical Assistance to the Aged and Disabled): Available to NJ residents aged 65 and older or receiving Social Security disability benefits, with income up to $28,769 (single) or $35,270 (married couple). PAAD covers rosuvastatin with copays of $5 for generics [6].
• Senior Gold: For NJ residents whose income slightly exceeds PAAD limits but falls below $38,769 (single) or $45,270 (married). Senior Gold copays are $15 for generics.

340B Drug Pricing. Patients who receive care at a 340B-eligible entity (such as a Federally Qualified Health Center) in New Jersey may access rosuvastatin at a significantly reduced price. New Jersey has over 100 FQHC sites, and many dispense medications through on-site or contract pharmacies at 340B pricing.

Patient Assistance Programs. NeedyMeds and RxAssist maintain directories of manufacturer and independent charity programs that provide free or reduced-cost statins to qualifying low-income patients. Eligibility typically requires income below 200% to 400% of the federal poverty level and lack of prescription drug coverage.

Rosuvastatin Dosing, Efficacy, and What Your Prescriber Should Monitor

Rosuvastatin is dosed once daily, at any time of day, with or without food. Starting doses depend on the clinical scenario.

For primary prevention in moderate-risk patients, the typical starting dose is 10 mg daily. High-intensity therapy (20 mg or 40 mg) is indicated for patients with clinical atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, LDL-C of 190 mg/dL or higher, or diabetes with multiple risk factors [1]. The Crestor prescribing label recommends starting at 5 mg in patients taking certain interacting medications (cyclosporine, gemfibrozil) and in those of Asian descent, due to pharmacokinetic differences that result in approximately twofold higher rosuvastatin exposure [7].

Rosuvastatin is the most potent statin on a milligram-for-milligram basis. At 40 mg, it reduces LDL-C by approximately 55%, compared to roughly 50% for atorvastatin 80 mg [8]. The METEOR trial (N=984) showed that rosuvastatin 40 mg significantly reduced the progression of carotid intima-media thickness compared to placebo over 2 years (mean change -0.0014 mm/year vs. +0.0131 mm/year; P<0.001) [9].

Monitoring requirements include a fasting lipid panel 4 to 12 weeks after initiation or dose change, followed by periodic reassessment every 3 to 12 months. Liver transaminases (ALT) should be checked at baseline. Routine monitoring of creatine kinase (CK) is not recommended unless the patient reports muscle symptoms.

New Jersey prescribers ordering lab work for rosuvastatin monitoring can use Quest Diagnostics or LabCorp, both of which have extensive draw-site networks across the state. Many telehealth platforms partner with these labs to offer bundled lab-plus-consultation packages.

How Rosuvastatin Compares to Other Statins on Cost in NJ

Generic rosuvastatin and generic atorvastatin are priced similarly in New Jersey, both averaging $10 to $20 per month at retail. The choice between them is typically clinical rather than financial.

Simvastatin, the oldest and cheapest generic statin, can be found for under $5 per month at many NJ pharmacies. It is limited to moderate-intensity therapy at currently recommended doses (the FDA issued a safety communication in 2011 restricting the 80 mg dose due to myopathy risk) [10].

Pitavastatin (Livalo), a newer statin with some pharmacokinetic advantages for patients on complex medication regimens, remains more expensive. Generic pitavastatin became available in 2023, but cash prices in New Jersey still range from $30 to $60 per month.

For patients who require a statin and are cost-sensitive, rosuvastatin and atorvastatin represent the two high-intensity options with generic pricing under $20 per month. The 2018 AHA/ACC guideline does not express a preference between them for most clinical scenarios [1].

What New Jersey Patients Should Know Before Filling

Three practical points for NJ residents starting rosuvastatin:

First, always ask the pharmacy to run both your insurance and a discount card price. In some cases, the discount card price is lower than the insurance copay, and you can choose the lower option.

Second, if your prescriber writes for brand-name Crestor with "dispense as written" (DAW), your pharmacy cannot substitute the generic, and your cost will jump significantly. Unless you have a documented clinical reason for brand-only, confirm that your prescription allows generic substitution.

Third, New Jersey law (N.J.S.A. 24:6E-7) requires pharmacists to offer the generic equivalent unless the prescriber indicates otherwise. The pharmacist must inform you of the cost difference between brand and generic at the point of dispensing.

Rosuvastatin 10 mg once daily is the most commonly filled strength in New Jersey, and a 90-day supply through a mail-order pharmacy with a GoodRx coupon can cost as little as $9 total.