Wellness

[drizzellla]

I do not understand the pricing for prescriptions. Every prescription that I took was $-0- for years. Suddenly in the past few months I have to pay for every prescription.

My husband got his prescriptions at Walmart. One heart prescription was always  $30 for a 3 month supply. 

On the recommendation of our Insurance Agent he changed from Walmart to CVS pharmacy. The same drug went from $30 for 3 months at Walmart to $300+ for 3 months at CVS. 

Checked Good RX was able to get the same drug at a local grocery store pharmacy was $50+.

It makes no sense what is happening to the cost of prescriptions.

[CelticCrafter]

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@drizzellla wrote:

I do not understand the pricing for prescriptions. Every prescription that I took was $-0- for years. Suddenly in the past few months I have to pay for every prescription.

My husband got his prescriptions at Walmart. One heart prescription was always  $30 for a 3 month supply. 

On the recommendation of our Insurance Agent he changed from Walmart to CVS pharmacy. The same drug went from $30 for 3 months at Walmart to $300+ for 3 months at CVS. 

Checked Good RX was able to get the same drug at a local grocery store pharmacy was $50+.

It makes no sense what is happening to the cost of prescriptions.

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@drizzellla it's too late now but  if your husband uses Medicare have him do his own checking on the Medicare website when open enrollment comes around again next year.  

[hckynutjohn]

@drizzellla 

$-0- for prescriptions for years? Even before I retired with the best plan I ever had! Never had 1 single prescription that I got for free, other than small samples. Whatever plan you have, let me know will ya? I want to take a look at it. 

I do have CVS, but it is mail order CVS Caremark, which are 90 day prescriptions.

hckynut 🇺🇸

[drizzellla]

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@hckynutjohn wrote:

@drizzellla 

$-0- for prescriptions for years? Even before I retired with the best plan I ever had! Never had 1 single prescription that I got for free, other than small samples. Whatever plan you have, let me know will ya? I want to take a look at it. 

I do have CVS, but it is mail order CVS Caremark, which are 90 day prescriptions.

hckynut 🇺🇸

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I was working AND get this - our company paid 100% of our health insurance. The company had it's health insurance through Humana and I think one year United Health. 

And when I went on Medicare, I still paid $-0- until earlier this year.

I was getting my prescriptions mail order through Express Scripts. They were WONDERFUL! Changed to Walgreens Mail Order when I went on Medicare. HORRIBLE! Changed to picking up at pharmacy. WONDERFUL!

It seems my prescriptions have suddenly changed from Tier 1 to Tier 2 this past year.

Now I am at CVS and I pick up at pharmacy. Never want to deal with what I had to go through at Walgreens mail order. 

I have an insurance agent that tracks my prescriptions and he tells me the pharmacy that will give me the best deal.

BUT he is also the guy who told my husband to change from Walmart to CVS. And my husband's prescription went from $30 to $300+.

[ValuSkr]

Isn't there something called the "doughnut hole" in Medicare prescription drug coverage?  I only know about it from my mother, who bought Eliquis for my father.  It happened late in the year, caused a spike in price, and would go away on Jan. 1, if I recall correctly.

[hckynutjohn]

@drizzellla 

My company also paid 100% of my Medical Insurance. I retired in 1991 when I was 52 years old. They paid 100% for many years. Then as the Union Contracts changed! My great(!) Union, decided they didn't give a rat's behind about retirees. From there we paid $50 a month, and with each contract it doubled. Thanks to my 33 years as a Union member.

However! I never got any prescriptions free. My insurance was free, but never my prescriptions. Got them from Shopko for years because they were close, and we shopped there a lot.

Then our Prescription Plan changed. And getting them anywhere but Mail Order Medco for long term prescriptions? They paid for 1 prescription, and everything after that, you payed the full bill. In other words, I was pretty much forced to go with Medco, which then became Express Scripts, which then became CVS Caremark, which I presently still use.

hckynut 🇺🇸

[MoJoV]

I was on Eliquis for a few years because of Afib. The expense was awful.  I have Humana drug coverage.

Now I take aspirin per my cardiologist.  

What we put up with from big pharma in this country is ridiculous,  cruel, outrageous.  We should be out in the streets with pitchforks.  Donut holes, tier this,  tier that. Unbridled greed. I better calm down before I blow a gasket. 

[hckynutjohn]

@MoJoV 

My life long friend, who is now 86, has Afib. He was taking  Coumadin/Warfarin blood thinner, and another med for years for his Afib.  He also had Cardioversion several times over those years.

He read about Watchman, a device placed, I believe, under the skin. It is considered to be a minor invasive surgical procedure. He still took his blood thinner for a few weeks after having the Watchman surgical procedure. I think he said it was a lower dosage. After that, he now takes only a 325mg aspirin tablet per day. He had this done about 18 months ago.

He said he is glad he took this route, and his Cardiologist said this was the best way to control his type of Afib. 

Thought I would mention this here because I know several that post here, or someone in their family suffers from Afib. Some may not know about this Watchman Device.

My friend said his was completely covered by his Medicare.

hckynut 🇺🇸

[Trailrun23]

Eloquis is not on Mark Cuban's site; it is mostly generics. I have never been able to use GoodRx for any of the drugs I must take...they are either not generic or they are controlled and tier 3-4. GoodRx doesn't cover either of those. The company is probably working hard to keep the generic Eloquis off the market. I will try and get DH to reach his cardiologist/surgeon and see if he can get some samples to tide him over. Since he is not in the donut hole and the pharmacist said they had jacked up the price; not sure what the options are.

[Trailrun23]

it is my understanding from DH's electrophysiologist, that Eloquis works differently than Warfarin and older blood thinners and it has less side effects. She says it is far superior to older blood thinners and more protective of the pacer he now uses; it allows a better flow of data as it monitors. If it is such a life-saving drug, it should be available to everyone who needs it, and at a reasonable price. You should not have to be destitute or homeless to get expensive prescription drugs at a down to earth price; We don't expect free, but we expect fair.