|
 |
11/20/2007
I've been empowered by the pills!
Yes Virginia, we can reduce health care costs. I have two recent drug costs anecdotes – I feel like I’m flexing my consumer power muscles, and it feels great!
Blood Pressure Medicine
My mother-in-law, almost 90, fortunate to be very healthy. It’s been her choice to carry no drug insurance, medicare or otherwise.
Funny thing how cost gets your attention when insurance doesn’t “cover it.”
Here are the details…
Amlodipin, 5 mg., 1 per day.
100 pills
Wal-Mart price: $128
Pic ‘n Save quoted price: $69
Pic ‘n Save actual price: $29
When Mom picked up her prescription, she expressed pleasant surprise at the lower price. Pic ‘n Save said they changed suppliers and the cost dropped. I’ll say.
Fungus Medicine
That lousy, impossible-to-get-rid-of nail fungus (is there a more genteel way to describe it?) can be a real problem. The best (and really only – aside from removing the toe permanently!) way to treat it is with Lamisil – for a minimum of 90 days. Or at least until now. Lamisil is most often not covered by many drug insurance plans, because the problem is usually considered to be cosmetic.
Funny thing how a cost gets your attention when insurance doesn’t cover it.
As of about the 1st of November, the generic of Lamisil, terbinafine, was made available. And, it was added to Wal-Mart’s $4 drug list (For some reason, some of the “$4 drugs” are $9 in Wisconsin - ?)
30 pills, 250 mg.
Lamisil, Shopko Menasha, $396.99
Generic terbinafine, Shopko, 11/8, $140.00
Generic terbinafine, Shopko 11/16, $99.99
Generic terbinafine, Walmart, 11/8 $9
And how about this? Shopko offered, when asked, to match the $9 Walmart price.
From $396.99 to $99.99 to $9.
It’s up to us
Now, this is not a piece about greedy drug companies. Or greedy insurance companies or greedy hospitals or medical practices or greedy anything. Our American drug habit must be paid for somehow. Research must be paid for. Rare disease drugs are a choice – and if we so choose as a society, we must pay for them as well. And on and on it goes. So what is the right price for any given drug?
Well, as they say, release the phenomenal power of the consumer into the drug, medical and hospital markets, and we’ll begin to see pressure on prices.
This stuff is up to us. It’s not all up to our insurance carrier. It’s time to find our own way to save health care costs. Find a local walk-in clinic to meet basic needs**. Call around to get the lowest prices on lab costs when our families need them. And regularly, do some serious cost-comparing for our prescription drugs. We will all be doing our part to control health care costs in America!
Have you had similar experiences? Do you feel empowered yet?!!
**Here’s the wording in an ad for FastCare, opening in the Appleton Shopko Nov. 19:
“Just $39 per visit (including lab).
“Sore throats, ear aches, sinus infections, flu or cold symptoms, urinary tract infections, insect bites and more. Immunizations and screenings are also available. FastCare is healthcare from ThedaCare professionals, but you don’t have to be a ThedaCare patient – just someone who wants the help without the wait.”
COMMENTS
FYI-
Walgreens has severed ties with the WEA Trust. (Wisconsin Education Trust). Caremark, the provider who administers the Trust pharmacy program, and Walgreens are in a contract dispute. Walgreens will not fill teacher prescriptions and apply for reimbursement online as they have in the past.
I don't have time now to find the article, but I think the courts ordered Walgreen's to continue providing services to WEA Trust policy holders. Jo
Dale (Tue Nov 20 07:26:21 2007)
You may feel empowered by tracking down a bargain-- or more realistically a fair markup-- but I would say you've just made the case for regulation of all pharmaceuticals.
Lon Ponschock (Tue Nov 20 23:03:46 2007)
Great work Jo!! All this takes time, but can be done. Thanks for getting us started.
RE FYI: Walgreens will fill prescriptions for Caremark customers until the 29th of November. I find it very curious that the only other free standing pharmacy in our area is CVS which is owned by Caremark. What's going on?
LS (Wed Nov 21 08:10:38 2007)
Lon,
You mean to say there is currently no regulation in the pharma markets?
Mark A Framness (Fri Nov 23 06:45:23 2007)
|
|
Blog Archives
| 2010 |
  December
|
November
|
October
|
September
|
August
|
July
|
June
|
May
|
April
|
March
|
February
|
January
• Solberg: Healing After an Abortion
• Basketball fans eyeing extension of Miller Park sales tax
• Nanny sex-ed bill goes to Doyle
• A first. Village limits pension contribution for employees
• Nanny State update: Toothbrushing mandated
• Obama pushes education inflation
• WI Investment Board votes to borrow to juice up returns
• So Republicans have brought nothing to the table?
• You have got to be kidding me
• Nygren: Governor Continues Terms of Failure in State of the State
• Sen. Fitzgerald: Governor down the wrong track at high speed
• Phosphorus is the new CO2. $Billions in Wisconsin
• More Obama giveaways
• A reprimand? Would you keep him on the job?
• Burri: Sarah Palin for Prez troubles me
• Quote of the Day – Obama after the pie-eating contest
• Populism, abused and trampled
• Fitzgerald: Senate Republicans Propose Real Job Creation Agenda
• Stripped down health insurance – it’s about time
• Ok GOP, scrap the Party of NO; time to lead
• No way Feingold is a Coakley. Is Wall a Brown?
• Burri: Conservatives off the chart for a RINO?
• Paltry quid pro quo?
• Doyle says ARRA has ‘created or retained’ 44,000 WI jobs
• Does most of the public fall for this stuff?
• When you get signatures, always get a couple extra
• Blame it on the outmoded computers
• Scott Brown victory does not scuttle health bill
• 8th Congressional Candidate Forum, Jan. 25
• Scott Walker Meet-and-greet, Monday, Jan. 18
• Aren’t consumers taxpayers too?
• MORE taxes on investment income - dreadful and wrong
• Join the blaze orange army and say ‘Enough is Enough’
• The future of government-run health care
• Tax on banks is a really bad idea
• Roth, Savard on the stump, grassroots style
• Savard speaking in Appleton, 8 PM, Wed., Jan. 13.
• Rahmlow: Savard, Bies frontrunners for State Senate
• Burri: Failing Political Correctness 101
• School contracts and Race to the Top
• Senator Feingold worrisome and big red flags
• Psephological?
• This is really important. Contact Rep. Kagen. Now. Please.
• This is exactly what we need from Governor Doyle
• This guy is my hero
• Why am I not surprised?
• Talk health reform with Feingold (Th), Petri (today)
• Give the Mayor power over MPS - if he can break contracts
• Burri: Yup, Dems really are going to bypass a conference
• The $2.7 billion Wisconsin deficit no one told you about
• Walker launches county accountability website
• Rahmlow: Why is Van Hollen dodging the Nebraska deal?
|
| 2009 |
December
|
November
|
October
• The Lawton-Bader files
• Yup, it’s the TAX LEVY, not the tax RATE
• Ellis: costly automobile insurance laws must be rolled back
• If not Barrett, who?
• The subsidy game
• Burri: Bailouts, Banks, Health Care, and the Mob
• Attend Appleton Schools budget meeting tonight
• A public option WON’T increase costs? That’s delusional!
• Appleton Schools budget meeting Monday
• Wisconsin should be screaming for accountability
• Burri: If anything, we need more obstructionism around here
• WI on the leading edge - in the wrong direction
• Rep. Montgomery: Utility Customers Join State’s Crime-Fighting Efforts
• Public Conservation and Recreation Lands Total 16.5% of State
• In the crow's nest of the Titanic, shouting 'Iceberg!'
• Is Rep. Nelson a political hack?
• Health care: The road ahead will be brutal
• Kagen's pandering again
• Birthers - good stuff for you
• How much do we bend over backward for seniors?
• The trouble with health care is paying for it
• Two-parent families: The Gold Standard
• Burri: Kids... the joys and blessings
• Very, very worried about health care
• Rep. Huebsch: Wisconsin is proof government health care isn’t the answer
• School district contracts push up tax levy
• What? Obama, the Peace Prize?
• TODAY - hearing on Campaign Finance Reform
• Appleton School District tax levy up way too much
• CBO report is out - and the bill isn't even written yet?
• So, how much do YOU budget for health care?
• Burri: Copenhagen trip was amateurish
• “Sotomayor, you have blood on your hands...”
• Cap and Trade. Always follow the money
• Rep. Kagen gets (almost) free health services
• I actually agree with Rep. Kagen
• Future Wisconsin Conference for Conservatives, October 10, Wauwatosa
|
September
|
August
|
July
|
June
|
May
|
April
|
March
|
February
|
January
|
| 2008 |
December
|
November
|
October
|
September
|
August
|
July
|
June
|
May
|
April
|
March
• Important votes Tuesday, including Appleton Common Council
• Democrats are becoming supply siders??
• Further debunking Hillary myths
• WEAC has created an unsustainable monopoly
• From Mark Gundrum: One of the greatest honors an American can experience
• 'Operation Chaos' working?
• Joe Martin the best candidate in Appleton's 8th
• State programs to cut? - Volume II
• Oh the naivete of youth
• Not just disingenuous - flat wrong
• Steve - you will be missed
• Make cuts only AFTER you're elected....
• Getting serious: What programs can we cut?
• Rep. Steve Kagen joining me on Jerry Bader Show today
• Rep. Van Roy: Dental Care Pilot Program
• Has Dave Obey turned the corner on earmarks?
• Speaker Huebsch: Governor turns down Federal Aid?
• Mark Rahmlow: "We're Broke."
• As taxpayers, how do we know if it's a Chevy or a Lexus?
• This is trash talk - about a veteran
• Frank Lasee: Take time to get the Compact right
• 'The Gableman Ad' - is it racist?
• Roth thankful, Kagen shaking money tree
• Gov. Doyle's office not enamored with Freedom of Information
• Governor Doyle will never do it
• Leadership on smoking ban? Not Hanna
• Rep. Van Roy speaks out about smear ads
• You're threatening me about potholes?
• Losing the Hastert seat is NOT a trend and NOT curtians for the GOP
• First suggestion for 'slashing' programs
• Big money-saver for municipalities
• More one time fixes. Nuts.
• Any chances???
• I'm doing the Jerry Bader Show, today, the 11th
• Representative Frank Lasee: Final Waltz of the Season
• Guest Blog: It's not the county's business to be in the nursing home business
• Yup, Hillary won Texas and Ohio
• Gableman/Butler race featured - and it isn't pretty
• Lies from Planned Parenthood and NARAL
• He who sacrifices liberty.....
• Duh.
• The Troha sentencing, Doyle and that $200K
• Guns, passion and "originality"
• How hard is it anyway, to shut down a government program?
• Voting is a PRIVILEGE. And so are property taxes....
• Guest Blog: Governor Doyle, cancel your Ireland trip
|
February
|
January
|
| 2007 |
December
|
November
|
October
|
September
|
August
|
July
|
June
|
May
|
April
|
March
|
February
|
January
• Lots of ideas. No money.
• The Cigarette Tax - "Poor Policy Instrument?"
• School budget Lite?
• Frankenstein - not in the library, but in the legislature
• A librarian, a legislator, a president
• $1.25/pack - NO, NO, NO, and NO
• Kagen and Reagan in the same breath?
• Menasha: behind the 8-ball, but not biting the dust
• Any way you slice it, Wisconsin government wants (further) in on health care
• The World is Flat...what about health care?
• The PAC - too precious to fail. Day 3
• News follow-ups: Appleton West, Kagen at the White House
• Fox Cities PAC - too precious to fail - Day 2
• Fox Cities PAC - too precious to fail
• New Transit Tax coming your way
• Rep. Petri has his finger in the dike - I guess
• AASD Retirement Costs Burdensome
• Health care, health care, health care, health care
• Water rate increase was no slam dunk
• Education for all is just a bad dream
• New Year's resolutions from a parade snob
|
| 2006 |
December
|
November
|
October
|
September
|
| 2000 |
May
|
|
