Well, the thing is that they go up and down, but always end up up. And it is the insurance company that is ulitmately paying the higher price, oh but wait, they may only be paying the price they negotiated for, so it is what the pharma keeps. Now, the amount that the other one is charing is surely also over the price of the actual meds, but more reasonably so, although they may have a different price negotiated and they are keeping quite a bit also.

If you think about it, the manfactuer is charging a huge price, and the pharm is charging a higher, and the insurance is paying the highest, but then charging the rates to recoup..

It is one big rip-off, JMO. If your pharma for some reason pays more for the drug, they may charge more to make anything. Or they may charge more to make more. Really, who knows gets what out of what anyone pays. But I do know that I am not making any bonus this year!

The prices are crazy! I am switching from a large chain of pharmacies to a small locally owned pharmacy.

Yes, the prices are insane. Whne I was getting three months of Rebif at one time, the billed amount was $8,430. And the nthere was the patient responsiblity, and then there was the insurance billed amount. But the thing is that I ahve no clue what actually was paid or to whom.

Now I am back with a once a month sender, an extention of the other sender, but the "specialty" part of it. And the bill is less, about $500 a month less. They also sent forms for me to fill out to declare a local pharmacy as a possible supplier if anything happens with a shipment, and I notice that the price would be different from them.

I find it not at all suprising, but really disgusting. JMO

I know many of you guys are very wary of 'socialised' medicine but here in Australia I pay $5.30 for most of my scripts.

Who is very wary of what? Sounds good to me! I actually pay $40 a month with insurance, but when I no longer have insurance it will go up to $50 a month if I stay on Rebif and am in their assistance program.

I don't actually end up paying anything since Betaseron is covered by insurance. However, since I live in Canada and if I didn't have insurance, I would have to pay very little a month.

I know of one woman who's combined income with her husband is over $80,000 and she has to pay $300 a month, but since my income is currently under $15,000 I am well below the poverty level and the province would cover the majority of my medications. If I lived in a richer province, I would have to pay less than $5 a month.

Either way, I'm still disgusted that the pharmacies can get away with charging so much more for something I desperately require.

Actually, it is the manfacturer. The bill I see is the amount charged to the supplier from the manufacturer. It is, like i said, outrageous. And then when they make a big fuss about the "assistance plans" they offer, it is just cutting into a little profit somewhere, although they get a tax bear big time for offering finacial aid programs. So in the end, they still get the bonus at the end of the year.

Hi,,
see if your dad's insurance has a mail order pharmacy, I have found that it is extremely cheaper this way

Lovely system that we have aye...

One interesting thing I learned watching Keith Olbermann (political show)...

He told a story about a pharmacist friend of his. He was picking up his usual meds one day and the pharmacist pulls out a different prescription out after hes done paying for his and exclaims "You see this! I have to charge this patient over 200 dollars for this antifungal cream. You know how much I pay for it wholesale! 4 dollars!!! I lose my license if I charge any less than that! You gotta do something about this!"

I think about all the meds we all have to take.... CRABs, Tysabri, Novantrone, Provigil/Nuvigil, Baclofen, etc. and I think that if the legal profit ratio is that outrageous or similar to it there is something wrong with the drug companies all the way around. Healthcare may have passed in this country and its a good start, but that type of profit ratio is pretty much stealing. I also wonder if its the same in other countries that get the same meds we do in the US. Its stealing from the insurance company, the government, and especially the patient if they dont have insurance or have horrible insurance. Patient assistance programs are being fringed too! Its all about the profit.

Ok I think I am done with my rant now lol....