Prescriptions

[matt819]

My spouse and I have three prescriptions between us. Hers is pricey, mine not so much. And this is with a bronze ACA plan.

Well, since hers was pricey, I checked Canadian sites and had been buying from one of them for a around a year. I received letter telling me they were shut down and that I should check other sites for service. I looked up the background on the closure, and it was not because of counterfeit drugs and anything like that. It was an issue dating back to 2011, but the US forced them to close. So I look for other sites and pricing. I was ready to get a new Rx for one of those sites and then thought to check Rx prices through Good Rx.

Wow. I was able to get the medication from Rite Aid for $20 less than the Canadian pharmacy. And about half of what it cost at CVS.

A word about CVS. I've been getting my Rx from there for 15 years. I just started with them when I moved here, and just stayed. People were nice, they're open 24x7, etc. It was convenient.

But the savings, first from Canada and now even more at Rite Aid, are substantial and I can't pass that up. Basically around $400 a year.

So I checked my prescriptions. One of them is about the same price via Good Rx and at most of the other pharmacies in town, as at my regular CVS. The differences weren't much to make the effort to change. But the other one? I could save $120 a year by switching, but this time not to Rite Aid, but to a supermarket pharmacy (or Walmart, which I won't do).

So I'll make the change. Here's the point I'm making. Because of all of this, something I gave no thought to cost me more money than I should have spent over the years (even with insurance) and now I should/have to shop every three months for the best price, which I imagine can change from one day to the next. And I'll spend probably a couple of hours every so often to check prices and shift prescriptions from one pharmacy to another. What a pain. And it just seems so damned unnecessary. Plus, looking at the range of prices - assuming the GoodRx site is more or less accurate - it is outrageous how you can get screwed without even trying and even when thinking you're doing the right thing.

[thbobby]

1. About 20 years ago

My local pharmacy charged 18.00 for a vial of the insulin I was using. I once needed to buy some in a larger town, went to Walgreens, and it was 37.00 per bottle there. I complained and they said to take it or leave it and to quit making a commotion or they would call the police. I have not shopped at a Walgreens since. Thieves and profiteers have no sense of decency, and they are not uncommon.

[marked50]

2. Not sure about what your prescription details are but I found

that mine would be really low if I went thru Costco. As I understand it, you don't need to be a member to use their pharmacy service.