Fibromyalgia Support Group
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So here in Australia- those of us on a low income pay $5.80 for most medications... then when you have spent $600 in a year (per family) the rest is free. The catch- the medication actually has to approved by the government for that use for you to get it at that price. (can't be off label)
All of the meds listed below cost $5.80 per script- and because I have gone over the $600 limit for the year I walk out without paying anything at all- I have listed the full price there as well. The price an overseas visitor would have to pay.
50 x 25mg endep $6
20 x 50mg tramadol $11
28 x 60mg cymbalta $49
50 x 2mg valium $6
200 x 100ug thyroxine $21
2 butrans patch $53
Lyrica is not on there so we have to pay $34 for 56 25mg tablets up to $106 for 56 150mg tablets. Some people have insurance to cover these "gaps".
I just saw a post where someone was needing to pay $35 after insurance for a product that is otc and costs about $20 here.
Does anyone know why there is such a difference in prices?
Coralie X
PS The downside of this seems to be a lot of meds I would like to try aren't available in Oz.. flexeril and soma for example.
All of the meds listed below cost $5.80 per script- and because I have gone over the $600 limit for the year I walk out without paying anything at all- I have listed the full price there as well. The price an overseas visitor would have to pay.
50 x 25mg endep $6
20 x 50mg tramadol $11
28 x 60mg cymbalta $49
50 x 2mg valium $6
200 x 100ug thyroxine $21
2 butrans patch $53
Lyrica is not on there so we have to pay $34 for 56 25mg tablets up to $106 for 56 150mg tablets. Some people have insurance to cover these "gaps".
I just saw a post where someone was needing to pay $35 after insurance for a product that is otc and costs about $20 here.
Does anyone know why there is such a difference in prices?
Coralie X
PS The downside of this seems to be a lot of meds I would like to try aren't available in Oz.. flexeril and soma for example.
Or could be you have better gov't-assisted medication payment?
Or maybe the so-called "free market capitalism" here in the US is just an excuse for conglomerates to engage in price-fixing?
Some of all the above?
I really do not know, but yeah, it is odd.
Our FDA is also awful at approving things for OTC versus script and so on. We get diddly OTC by comparison to a lot of nations.
Huh. I am really puzzled now. I am used to being hosed.... I have a copay of $20 for a script that is, without insurance, only $18. WTF?.
We have a similar situation often with off-label use except it's the insurance companies that won't pay. That's one of the ways they get out of paying for some meds - they aren't specifically FDA approved for a particular use.
People who don't have any kind of medical condition don't get why that's a problem - that not every helpful medication is going to be specifically approved for the condition it's known to help.
One way or another we all pay it seems - either through taxes, insurance premiums, or directly. In the end the only "winners" in that game are the pharmaceutical companies.
I listed that first price $5:80- that's actually people with disability pensions, single parents, families with a low income. But with the families we are talking $50, 000pa. If you are on a normal wage you pay a maximum of $35.50 per script. That is the subsidised price of medications here. The part where the government helps.
Again those prices are not for things being used "off-label".
I tried to look at US websites for the prices of these meds (rather than writing this post lol). That seems to be impossible. Maybe I am looking in the wrong place but if thats normal it must make it hard to shop around.
It just concerns me no end when I see these horrific prices and waits for disability pensions/insurance. I feel so sorry for people who get sick over there. It must really send people well below the poverty line and possibly very quickly. I am a sociology student and I can just see so many extra ways in which your life can be ruined by fibromyalgia.
If you wanted to see how much a script costs in Australia-
http://www.chemistwarehouse.com.au/
search the chemical name of your meds since sometimes brand names are different. The private or "our price" is what you will pay. I must admit medication prices have decreased since online pharmacies started up and people can check the prices online.
Anyway, thanks for replying :)
Coralie X
Most of my meds are generic $4 meds - one is available OTC.
A generic med was just made for one of my GERD meds and my cost went down $40.00 a month.
Then this week I got a new prescription for a generic Asthma med and my prescription cost went down another $20.00.
So now I will be spending less but it is still a lot of money.
But to be honest with you, I really can not complain because I know a lot of people who spend a lot more than I do for meds. I actually think that I am lucky that my insurance will pay the majority of the cost if I can find a generic.
I do wonder why we have so few OTC options sometimes. Amoney grab by Big Pharma or is it the fact it is so much easier to file a lawsuit here than in many other places? Chicken or egg quesrion, I guess.
Cheers,
Leo