The prescription medication adventure continues!

[Roll_Bones]

I'm glad I live in Quebec. If you are covered by Quebec medicare (basically all permanent residents), you have to be covered for drug insurance. If you are eligible through work or a professional association, you have to sign up for that. If you aren't eligible, you get the government insurance which is, for 2014, a maximum of $607/year based on income. It gets paid along with QC income tax and that's where the calculation is done.

Generally, the drug portion of the premium for group insurance is similar to what one would pay for the gov't insurance. Might be a bit more if it has a lower co-pay.

The US once again can learn from our neighbors up north.
The US is supposed to have the best health care system in the world. Problem is, you have to have the money to access it.

I was always glad that my mother married my dad but reading all your health trials and tribulations I am SO glad she didn't marry the American RAF pilot she dated before she met Dad!
Good ol' National Health Service!

The deniers, racists and haters in this country (US) call you guys and other single payer system countries socialist.
I would gladly accept the moniker "socialist" if it would mean the same health care for every American.
The same health care the congress and president get.

Our President has been roasted over the coals for trying to fix this disparity in our country. He is hated by many, because he wants to make health care available and affordable to every single American. There is no doubt the program had many problems when it was first implemented. It still needs work.

The majority of those complaining and saying their insurance went up, could not keep their insurance and the new policies are too expensive must live on another planet. Not the earth.

1) Could not keep what I already had = in reality the policy most likely did not meet the minimum guidelines for coverage and was considered below par.
This is why some people could not keep what they had.


2) My current policy premium went up = They did not shop for a new policy that most likely would have lowered their overall medical costs including prescriptions. They were hard headed and did not want to explore what was available to them. Politics played a large role in these peoples decision to keep their overprice policies and not looking at better insurance.
They wanted no part of the presidents new law.

3) The new insurance policies under the ACA are to expensive = They never actually went to the exchange and got a real quote or they make way to much money to get a low premium plan.
I personally went to the exchange and used all three daughters and their families as examples.
Each and every one was eligible, the premiums were affordable and the policies were better than my Medicare Advantage Plan.
Two had existing health care from their employers. But my youngest did not and now has excellent coverage with a very affordable premium.

Its a start, but a single payer system is what this country needs.
We are supposed to be the best country in the world and we still have not figured out how to take care of our own people.
Seems fighting wars is more important to some.

Health Care.

Canada, France, Great Britain > United States.

 

[Katie H]

And the saga continues...

After all has been said and done, I visited 11 pharmacies in two cities. The quotes for the medication went from the ridiculous to the sublime.

Once I evaluated all the information I'd gathered, I determined that my Kroger (grocery store) pharmacy had the best price. I thought the mom-and-pop place was the winner but when I went back, with my notes from my previous visit, to have the prescription filled the price was 3 times what I'd been told. The clerk misunderstood, even though I clearly told her and handed her my labeled prescription bottle, and stated the price for 30 days rather than 90 days.

Still, there's a bit of a glitch. When I picked up my 90 pills at Kroger I mentioned that I'd had quite a journey and was shocked at the variance in prices. The pharmacist seemed puzzled/curious and went to his computer. The $79/90 days he'd quoted me was correct, but upon checking the supplier, he discovered that the price (to the customer) had been entered incorrectly, waaaaay incorrectly. He told me to enjoy my current low price and advised me that when the corporate office updates the master database, my prescription will be substantially different the next time it needs to be filled.

Gosh this is fun.