When Wal-Mart first lowered the price of certain generic prescription drugs to $4 for a 30-day supply, consumers wondered how they could do it. Wouldn't they lose money? Of course they would lose money on the prescription, but the master of merchandising knew they'd more than make up for those losses on what you'd purchase while you were waiting for your prescription.

Now Wal-Mart has announced that it's going to make even more drugs available for $4 (30 day supply) or $10 (90 day supply). These aren't your newest, fanciest drugs. But they are common generics that many people take daily. They will now have over 1,000 prescription drugs available at bargain basement prices.

And there's another bright side for consumers: Even if you don't shop at Wal-Mart, you might benefit. Consumers filling their prescriptions at Target also receive the same bargain pricing, in an effort to compete with Wal-Mart. And I'm sure there are other chains that have also followed suit, giving consumers several options for extremely affordable prescription drugs.

Tracy L. Coenen, CPA, MBA, CFE performs fraud examinations and financial investigations for her company Sequence Inc. Forensic Accounting, and is the author of Essentials of Corporate Fraud.

When my sister Ella first started having liver problems in December 2007, I went out to visit her. When I got to her hospital room, she was trying to be brave, but was deeply worried. In addition to her fears about treatment, Ella was terrified about her finances. As a graduate teaching assistant, she didn't have very much money, and she wasn't insured; frankly, she had no idea how she was going to pay for the drugs and medical care that she needed to save her life.

A few days later, when the hospital released Ella, they gave her prescriptions for Ciprofloxacin, an antibiotic, and Percocet, a painkiller. While we were in Wal-Mart picking up a huge pile of assorted health-care paraphernalia, she dropped off her order at the pharmacy counter. When we picked it up a half-hour later, we had a huge surprise: Ella's medications came to less than $15.

Later on, discussing this with Ella's doctors, we realized that the low cost of her meds wasn't an accident. Understanding her financial situation, her health-care team had carefully chosen Ella's drugs. Taking into account both efficacy and cost, they had determined that Cipro and Percocet would not only do the job medically, but would also minimize the strain on my sister's wallet. Apparently, the Geisinger clinic had consulted with Wal-Mart, determined which medications were less expensive, and was careful to prescribe them whenever possible.

Last week I received a letter in the mail from my local Walgreen's pharmacy informing me that Zyrtec is now available as an over-the-counter medication. My eight year-old son takes the medication for seasonal allergies, which begin to cause itchy eyes and sneezing by early to mid-March here in the Northeast.

My insurance covers the prescriptions, but my co-pay is still $40 per month. Since my son takes Zyrtec for about seven months, it costs nearly $300 a year. The estimated cost of OTC Zyrtec is just $25 compared to $91 for the prescription, which consumers without insurance or a prescription plan pay for out of pocket.

The letter went on to say that the Food and Drug Adminstration (FDA) has approved OTC Zyrtec for all indications except for children between six months and two years, who still require a prescription.

McNeil Consumer Healthcare, maker of Zyrtec, offers a $2 coupon on its website towards your next purchase of any Zyrtec product. A Q&A sheet published by the manufacturer warns that Zyrtec may no longer be covered by insurance although you can still use flexible spending accounts and health savings accounts to pay for the medication.