Crazy Medication Costs Can Be Conquered
Americans pay more for most medications than most countries. The power of the pharmaceutical lobbies is a topic for another day.
But the consequences are real for every American, whether using private insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, other insurance or paying out-of-pocket.
A friend of mine was recently diagnosed with a type of adult-onset asthma. After three years of coughing, he was finally diagnosed. First treatment option: an expensive inhaler called BREO. Anxious for relief, my friend headed straight to the pharmacy to fill the prescription.
To his shock and dismay, the co-pay was $170. This was after using very good commercial insurance. He was stunned. Fortunately, the pharmacy employs very competent staff who told him to go online and Google BREO online coupon. He did, took the coupon back to the pharmacy which re-ran his prescription and, lo and behold, his co-pay became $10. And the coupon is good for a year.
The take away: do your research when it comes to medication costs!! Did you know different pharmacies will charge different prices? (Shop around). Did you know some big box operations like Walmart are offering many generic medications at much lower cost? Did you know that a lot of the new drugs lavishly advertised on television for everything from rheumatoid arthritis to heart failure to psoriasis aren’t necessarily more effective than older drugs? Always ask your doctor if a generic will work. (Sadly, some do take kickbacks from pharmaceutical companies to promote new, expensive drugs).
I commend to my readers the following resources: NeedyMeds and GoodRX.
