“Big bill for pills not warranted” LTTE Montgomery Advertiser, AL

jody

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Sun Apr-18-10 11:49 AM
Original message

“Big bill for pills not warranted” LTTE Montgomery Advertiser, AL

Edited on Sun Apr-18-10 12:06 PM by jody

ON EDIT ADD: Not my LTTE, just sharing with other DUers.

Big bill for pills not warranted

I have been taking a generic antibiotic and was recently given a free coupon for a new, more effective form of the drug.

I visited the pharmacy, presented my prescription and coupon.

The pharmacist told me that the medicine was free to me without my co-pay. However, my insurance company would be billed $800 for 30 pills.

I cancelled the transaction and will remain with the generic medicine.

People complain about drug companies; some of the complaints are valid, some not. However, $800 for an updated antibiotic is nuts, especially when the pharmacist told me that the generic one for $6.25 works just as well.

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napi21

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Sun Apr-18-10 12:03 PM
Response to Original message

1. Why wouldn't the pharmacist just run the sale with the coupon

through without notifying your ins. co? That's what we do with any meds that are free generic & the one store that is giving away all antibiotics. We even had a coupon for one month of free Zetia. Our usual copay is $45.00 for Zetia, but the coupon said the pharmacy would be reimbursed for the drug cost and to me it was free. I had them eliminate thei ins. co for that month.

BTW I agree with you on the $800! I realize there's a cost associated with research and testing, but nobody ever said they had to recover all their costs in 2-3 years! I did cost accounting in one of the jobs I had and we always set the recovery time (estimated life of the drug) at 15-20 years. This sounds a lot like a special tax loophole to me!

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jody

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Sun Apr-18-10 12:05 PM
Response to Reply #1

2. Not my LTTE, just sharing with other DUers. n/t

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ehrnst

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Sun Apr-18-10 03:23 PM
Response to Original message

3. That's the drug company's way of getting your physician to prescribe the more expensive drug.

Of course the physician will do what they feel is in the patient's best interest - which is to save the patient money.

And that is one reason that health care costs are skyrocketing.

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bemildred

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Sun Apr-18-10 11:19 PM
Response to Original message

4. So the new coupon is a fraud. nt

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