First of all-thank you for reading my inaugural blog.
My name is Amy and I invite you to rant with me.
I have found over my 48 years that there are things that people do or don’t do that just drive me nuts! Kind of like reading signs on doors…you know the ones where people pull when the door says push. However, these are a bit more life changing, money-saving, or even less frustrating ways to get things done.
My reason for ranting:
- Sharing what I have learned along the way…in hopes of supplying even one person with an “Ah-Ha” moment
- It is therapeutic to write it down and get it off my chest…
- If you have something to rant about…I hope I can learn from it too.
So, let’s get to it…
Rant #1
Prescription Medication Cost
It drives me absolutely nuts that people will drive 5 miles out of their way to say a penny on a gallon of gas, but won’t take action to save money on their medications. Did you know that not all pharmacies charge the same price? Did you know that sometimes the cost of your medication is less than your co-pay through insurance? Of course, not. These are things that no one explains.
I spent 10 years of my career working in pharmaceutical sales and the biggest complaint I always had from physicians and patients is cost.
First-call your pharmacies and compare prices. Just like your weekly grocery ads, prices fluctuate. Always ask what the price is if you “didn’t have insurance”. Most pharmacies have a tech that reads from a computer screen. The systems are not set up to let you know if the cash price is less than your copay. However, you need to specify what the cost is if you “don’t have insurance”.
I found this out the hard way…I asked a pharmacy tech what I thought was a simple question…”What is the cash price of my medication?”…I was stunned when this tech responded without looking at her computer screen, “it’s the same price if you pay cash or credit”. I am sure I had the most perplexed look on my face at that point.
Second-Ask your physician if they have any coupons for the medication. If not, look on the manufacturer’s website. Pharmaceutical companies spend a lot of money trying to reduce prices through rebates and coupons. Unfortunately, if they reduce the price at the pharmacy level, the only one who benefits is the pharmacy. Many times over, pharmaceutical companies have lowered their prices only to find that those reductions do not get passed on to patients. It’s not always the Pharmaceutical companies that increase pricing (not that you would ever know by watching our politicians consistently blame the pharmaceutical manufacturers about the cost of medications-that’s a rant for later).
Third-Did you know that you do not need a membership to get your prescription from Costco? They are also one of the best priced pharmacies around. (I even used them to get medication for my dog).
In later posts I will follow-up with my rants about generics versus branded medications, why politicians like to blame pharmaceutical companies for all skyrocketing medical costs, and why trying to buy your medication outside of the US might be your worst nightmare.
Until next time – Rant with me!
Amy's Rant 