osodecanela (
osodecanela) wrote2020-01-03 06:44 pm
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You’d better shop around....
A conversation with my urologist yesterday prompted yet another prescription today.
That sounds plaintive, and actually I shouldn’t sound that way. I’m glad to be starting this stuff. I brought it up with my urologist. Suffice it to say, I have a 64 y/o prostate, as well as male pattern baldness that presented itself since turning 60. The addition of this drug will address both issues, all while reducing my long term risk for prostate cancer. Sounds like a win-win-win to me.
It’s January 3 and I don’t yet have my insurance card for this year. No real matter. I have an annual deductible on drugs with this plan anyway. I’d asked my urologist to call the drug into the local Safeway pharmacy and before going down there this afternoon, I first called Costco for a price check on it, and then checked GoodRx on my smartphone for discount coupons. Costco priced a 3 month supply at just under $35, on their member’s discount plan. GoodRx had a coupon at Safeway for $25 and change, which I downloaded.
Arriving at Safeway, there was a sign that read “Up to $75 in groceries when you fill or transfer a new prescription to our pharmacy.” My coupon was accepted. Good thing, as Safeway’s list price for this generic drug was $452 for a 90 day supply. $452! WTF? You’re kidding me, right?
Instead of leaving a huge hole in my wallet, after the $25 gift card, my ultimate cost was 80 cents.
I’m on several other meds, all of them generic. I only use my insurance for one of them. My plan this past year only covered 30 days at a time, with most generics costing $15. Meanwhile, Costco’s discount plan costs me $9, $14.50 & just under $19 for 3 month supplies. With this 4th generic, out of pocket cost for all 4 medications is under $150 per annum if I pay for them myself. If I use the insurance, that changes to $60/month or $720 yearly, almost 5 times the cost.
That sounds plaintive, and actually I shouldn’t sound that way. I’m glad to be starting this stuff. I brought it up with my urologist. Suffice it to say, I have a 64 y/o prostate, as well as male pattern baldness that presented itself since turning 60. The addition of this drug will address both issues, all while reducing my long term risk for prostate cancer. Sounds like a win-win-win to me.
It’s January 3 and I don’t yet have my insurance card for this year. No real matter. I have an annual deductible on drugs with this plan anyway. I’d asked my urologist to call the drug into the local Safeway pharmacy and before going down there this afternoon, I first called Costco for a price check on it, and then checked GoodRx on my smartphone for discount coupons. Costco priced a 3 month supply at just under $35, on their member’s discount plan. GoodRx had a coupon at Safeway for $25 and change, which I downloaded.
Arriving at Safeway, there was a sign that read “Up to $75 in groceries when you fill or transfer a new prescription to our pharmacy.” My coupon was accepted. Good thing, as Safeway’s list price for this generic drug was $452 for a 90 day supply. $452! WTF? You’re kidding me, right?
Instead of leaving a huge hole in my wallet, after the $25 gift card, my ultimate cost was 80 cents.
I’m on several other meds, all of them generic. I only use my insurance for one of them. My plan this past year only covered 30 days at a time, with most generics costing $15. Meanwhile, Costco’s discount plan costs me $9, $14.50 & just under $19 for 3 month supplies. With this 4th generic, out of pocket cost for all 4 medications is under $150 per annum if I pay for them myself. If I use the insurance, that changes to $60/month or $720 yearly, almost 5 times the cost.
no subject
In my personal experience
playing Godpracticing medicine, 9 times out of 10, if not more, generics work as effectively as the branded original they mirror. To be honest, for many older meds, I’ve gone out of my way to forget the branded name. There is no real difference between Prozac & fluoxetine, between Lotensin & lisinopril or Claritin & loratidine. More offen the trouble is with newer classes of drugs, which are often replacing older classes of medications, and where all of the drugs in the newer class are new enough that there are none in the class old enough to be generic. Think many of the newer meds for diabetes like the GLP-1 analogs or the SGPT-2 antagonists, which are both far better than the sulfonylureas they are replacing at enormous cost to the patients and at times their insurers.Sent from my iPhone
no subject
no subject
Well I did say 9 out of 10; for sure, it sucks when you’re the 1.
I’m sorry she’s in that situation. I’m also frustrated with our overall for profit system.
Sent from my iPhone