Holy Crap! Prescription meds are EXPENSIVE!!! (page 2)

whyamihere

I can see why Elderly People get pissed!

I swear since my leg thing I have had to get alot of Pills and supplies and I was like 30 dollars for a god damn sock?

Yeah I hear you all....Let's buy Weed...It is probably cheeper!

Brooke

Elsewhere

Hold on a minute!!! I just found a contradiction in those prices I quoted from my insurance company...

The web site said that a 30 day supply would cost the insurance company $447.33 and a 90 day supply would cost $1253.49.

I just got back from the pharmacy where I picked up a 30 day supply. I paid $29.76 and the receipt says that the original cost of the med was $189.99.

What's up with that? The website said $447.33 for 30 days but the receipt says $189.99

Eyebrow2

There doesn't really seem to be consistency, does there?

Our kids are pretty healthy, so we went with one of those catastrophic insurance plans, so prescriptions are not covered before we meet our deductible of 3K per person total of 8K per family. Eek...but we have and HSA..so we should be putting money into it tax deffered in case costs come up..but havent yet eek.

It is crazy...I do realize prescrip drugs will be expensive for several years after they have been tested and approved by the FDA, but I think the inconsistency in pricing is ridiculous. And I think it should be illegal for all these gifts that are given. Many companies in other industries do not allow gifts of more than $25 value to be given.

damselfly

Ouch! Even with that co-pay I would be hard pressed to pull $75 out of my hat like that. I don't know about the rest of Canada, but in NS a lot of pharmacies and drug plans subsitute the generic brands for the name brands so our prescriptions are cheaper.

I don't know what legally our drug reps are allowed to do in Canada, but I view any type of "kick back" to the doctors as bribery and it should be illegal.

Dams

talesin

This issue is one I watch closely,,, here's a story from the CBC in 2004, talking about'why',,, maybe there are several issues that the Cdn and US people agree on, and we could pressure our individual governments to change them. I am sick of the corporations running our countries, and pitting us against each other.

Why so cheap?

There are several factors that make drug prices lower in Canada than in the U.S.

Perhaps the most obvious is the exchange rate. For the last few years the Canadian dollar has hovered between 60 and 70 cents, giving Americans more bang for their greenback.

Another reason is the fact that Canadian drug companies are not allowed to market their products directly to consumers. That's a substantial savings not realized south of the border, where so-called direct-to-consumer marketing has been allowed since 1997. According to the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, drug companies spent almost $3 billion on direct-to-consumer advertising – a price that gets passed on to the consumer.

But the biggest reason for the price disparity is the existence of drug price controls in Canada. The Patented Medicine Prices Review Board, a quasi-judicial body of the government created in 1987, reviews pharmaceutical prices and enacts caps for patented drugs and medicines prices.

Link to complete story: http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/drugs/

And this, from 2003,,,

WASHINGTON - Hundreds of Americans are getting their prescriptions filled in Canada.

Whether they cross the border or use the Internet, Americans spend half as much when they fill their prescriptions in Canada.

Elissa McGowan uses a discount drug service that connects her to a Canadian pharmacy where she buys her medicine and saves $300 (U.S.) a month.

"I'm a senior citizen and every dollar counts," she told CBC News.

However the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says the practice of buying drugs across the border is not safe and has warned consumers against it.
The FDA says the following:

Drugs may not be packaged and stored under appropriate conditions.
There is no assurance that the products are manufactured under current good manufacturing practice.
When consumers take such unsafe and inappropriate medications, they face risks of dangerous drug interactions and other serious health consequences.

A U.S. committee is trying to determine whether Canadian drugs are safe. It blames the FDA for hurting American citizens and helping American pharmaceutical companies pad their bottom lines.

http://www.cbc.ca/story/news/national/2003/06/13/Consumers/prescriptiondrugs_030613.html

lotsa good stuff on their website.

The pharmas are one of the biggest whores on the planet, along with insurance companies and banks. It's time for citizens to stand up and say "We're mad as hell and we're not gonna take it anymore!"

tal

talesin

Note: The initial story is from 2004, so the exchange rate is now 20 - 30 cents. Still, we are talking about a multi-billion $$$ industry here ...

t

luna2

There's been a lot of television advertising for prescription meds too...trying to get the public to ask their doctors for certain brands of medication. I'm sure the drug companies are spending a bundle on that too. I don't remember ads like that ten years ago.

talesin

luna

There's been a lot of television advertising for prescription meds too...trying to get the public to ask their doctors for certain brands of medication. I'm sure the drug companies are spending a bundle on that too. I don't remember ads like that ten years ago.

This is a big thorn in my side. The commercials play on people's fears, often quoting that X percent of the population suffers from clinical depression, or whatever. Then, they follow up with their reps visiting the physicians and extolling the virtues of the same drug. When the patient comes and asks for it, the doctor is already 'prepped'.

tal

Big Tex

Welcome to my world Else. Jackson has asthma and his meds are about that. He also takes Singulair, Xoponex and Zyrtec. That adds up in a hurry. Last year we spent $10,000 out of pocket just on medical.

drwtsn32

Yeah, it does really suck for people without insurance. But these drugs cost millions of dollars to develop. The drug companies have to recoup their costs and obviously make a profit...just like any business *that* is their motivation.

My ex used to take an injection for MS. The monthly prescription would cost over $1000 if it wasn't for insurance, and that is simply four injections (one per week). She ended up switching to some other injection later that was even more expensive, if memory serves.

Holy Crap! Prescription meds are EXPENSIVE!!!

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