Muji, I keep it simple. Won't pick up, other than inhalers, if cost is too high. I then let doctor know I can't afford it and that I need a generic versus one under patent. There is always an option for common meds. Sister and husband spent a small fortune on her Parkinson meds as all were under patents. Glad you persevered, though sorry that you had to do so. Yes, the frustration would have me losing it. Comforting hugs.

That would be extremely frustrating. Glad you were able to bring that cost down so much, I cant believe they can charge that amount for health.

I've had so many struggles down this line that I have come to believe that "Good Insurance" is an oxy-moron. Even before Obama modeled his program around this deeply flawed system, it had led us to a place where we are calm about the price-gouging and letting lawyers/insurance adjusters dictate our health care. I'll spare you the rest of the rant. . .

My simplicity is that I simply don't go to people who support that system. No strolls in the Med Parks for this nut job. It's enough to make me sicker than I was to start with.

Yes, my insulin pump went out of warranty in December 2016. I have high deductible insurance, but hit my out of pocket max in June 2017. I have huge swings in my blood glucose and difficulty detecting hypoglycemia, which do not work well with PTSD. I figured the new pump would be a slam dunk and covered by my insurance. I spent hours on the phone with the company and my insurance being told it was covered and on its way in July. Early August I received a notice my insurance wouldn’t approve it. That fall I had paramedics at my house 3 times due to severe hypoglycemia. In November, my doc sent a note to the insurance appealing for them to cover the new system. Late December, I received approval for the system but was told it wouldn’t ship until February. That meant it would fall into the following years deductible and cost me about $4900 out of pocket. I spoke with the company who sorted it out and billed it in 2016, costing me $0. But, I had to pay for the pump and glucose sensor out of pocket for $700 in February. Crazy the loopholes to simply have coverage for medical supplies that keep us alive!

We have a different system here Muji but this sounds frustrating.....

Good for you finding a way to keep your cost down

Big squishy hug of calm.....xo

i'm sorry you had to go through all that. its not uncommon for my to call in a new med or even just a refill on a monday and spend the next four days on the phone with the insurance, doctors, and pharmacy trying to get it filled. it took me over a month just to get a shower chair that i needed. so i feel your pain and frustration. ((((hugs))))


on the bright side- if i may point it out- you did the work and it did cost you only $31! that's amazing! frustration aside, you accomplished quite a big deal there! take a moment and pat yourself on the back.

Oh yes Muji. I was actually canceled the day I got out of the hospital once.

I have been circumnavigating the healthcare system for quite some time since I am on individual insurance in the state of Texas no less.

Here's what I've been doing......using wellrx discount program or goodrx and another one online I've forgotten the name of. At walgreens I literally have 6 different discount cards and they used to run whichever was cheapest automatically for me (of course there were baked goods involved ;)
There are also generic lists by all major rx places now, so $4 generics list for common meds. If you are like me with my heart medicine where there is no generic, the cheapest I found was about $110 and it's a $500 med. That was with wellrx. BUT, what I've done, upon my cardiologist offering, is get a month of samples. They are super cool about it because they don't want me to slide backward. I also applied to patient assistance for it recently. Just told them I make $500/month (they don't check if your doctor signs off on the patient assistance program). They are sending 3 month supply to the doctor office. Hopefully they won't forget and will notify me when they come in. It's a pain but it will save a good $500 when all is said and done. And I've needed that money to tackle other health issues.

SO, I say good luck, God Bless.

I have to pay out of pocket for prescriptions too and it does add up. The government here does put a cap on prescriptions cost but it still can be steep. I find here in Canada the prescription fee can vary and sometimes I get the cheap and cheerful price at Walmart even though I hate that store

All the best

Too often to think about... Argh.

GoodRX is an excellent tool to bring drug prices down. You can check online or via phone app to see if they have a better price. Every pharmacy will take their coupon. You can tell the pharmacy to use the GoodRX price in lieu of your insurance. I've saved quite a bit of money using GoodRX.

Hi Muji.

It's awful when this happens, what a nightmare! I recently went through this with muscle relaxers.

I called my insurance to ask if other alternative brands work the same and if they are covered at a lower price, then i called my Dr and I let them know it wasn't covered, to please choose one that is from the list my insurance provided. They did and it worked out great.

That might work if another brand works the same.

My sympathies.

Would it be a bad joke to suggest that you might be delusional in even calling it a "system"?

Oh, my. I didn't realize how common my experience is. The hours you all mention being on the phone to insurance companies, the angles that have to be played with various discount cards, the experience of having insurance canceled due to being hospitalized, all of this is simply excessive. And we are a small sampling.

I can't believe it, but on my trips to Mexico I've had to engage with health care there, and I've found Mexico, a developing country, to be more developed in this one area, at least for me as a privileged US citizen with resources down there. The fact is, though, that while Healthcare Access and Quality index in Mexico has risen to 63% now, the USA's still beats it on paper at 81%.
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/mexico-healthcare-system#4

Still, when my luggage was lost with my meds in it on a trip to Mexico this year a pharmacy there replaced all of my meds the day I arriived without my luggage. It was amazing. No wonder there's medical tourism for US citizens down there nowadays. It really calmed my PTSD anxiety down fast, which was great because, as you can imagine, it was off the charts, especially as to my diabetes and how I'd keep that in check. I now carry extra diabetes meds on my person in case my luggage is lost again, but I feel more calm about the whole matter knowing a Mexican pharmacy would take care of me the very day I had to ask them to.

For those of us with PTSD in particular, since it's an anxiety disorder, I wish we could feel equally reassured by our own system here in the US. But according to your replies here to my query, apparently not. Apparently my experience this week was typical, and not even as serious as several experiences some of you have had to go through.

Sigh.

Today, I finally remembered to call BCBS about the Shingrix vaccine which is more effective than the old shingles vaccine. Because I've already had the old shingles vaccine, Medicare will not pay for Shingrix. Its a two shot series too which you do over a 2 -4 month time period.

I called around to get prices and see who has the vaccine in stock. It is still hard to find due to shortages. The best price that I got was $160 for one vaccine - so $320 total for the both. Not a happy camper.

Then I got the bright idea to check GoodRx to see if they had a coupon for it. I use them for the scripts now because it is cheaper than my insurance. In some cases, by almost $20. They do have a coupon for Shringrix! It will only save me $20 for both shots but that is better than nothing.

Just thought that I would share this incase it helps someone else.