Wal-Mart Experiment Paid Off

[Geek]

Yes, but I don't like using the cheap stuff in my cars.

but in your body is ok?

 

[czygvtwkr]

I've thought of that. this last time I thought for a while that it was just allergies but the morning she couldn't open her right eye because it was so gooped up, we decided enough was enough and took her in to the doc.
don't know if bohman mentioned the allergy idea when he took her in but if she gets it again, I definitely will ask.

Doctor told me one time I had pink eye but it was actually a torn cornea.

 

[camily]

My sister works at Giant in the pharmacy. It's a little known fact that they pricematch if asked.
Just a little FYI.

 

[Pete]

Same with me! For years I spent money on allergy and BC pills. Even w/my insurance I was paying $30 for BC and $50 a month for allergy. I switched to generic BC and OTC Wal-Mart brand allergy meds (which work BETTER than the name brands EVER did). My monthly cost is now $14.

Sam's Choice Egg blocker BC pills?

 

[aps45819]

but in your body is ok?

egg zactly

They sell SHELL Rotella-T oil, works great in bikes

 

[smsd]

I've thought of that. this last time I thought for a while that it was just allergies but the morning she couldn't open her right eye because it was so gooped up, we decided enough was enough and took her in to the doc.
don't know if bohman mentioned the allergy idea when he took her in but if she gets it again, I definitely will ask.

That's how my daughter's one eye gets and it's always in the same eye. Best of luck!

 

[CMC122]

We made the same switch last month and I'm very happy we did! We cut our monthly Rx bill in half! Now I can only hope that they start out with a generic for the two other Rx's and our's will be down to less then $30 a month

 

[This_person]

My wife has issues with cholesterol and high blood pressure for years, and was taking four presciption drugs that had an out-of-pocket cost of about $175 every month. Three months ago my wife was complaigning about the cost to me, and I told her to get the list of generics that Wal Mart has on it's $4 deal, take it to her doctor, and tell him instead of these super-fancy new brand name drugs that she wants a good, effective, generic off the list.

She took me up on my suggestion, went to her doctor, and he wrote her scripts for four of the drugs on the list. New out-of-pocket cost: $16. Three months later her cholesterol issues are gone and she's now down to just two blood pressure drugs, one she gets on a 30-day script and one on a 90-day. New monthly cost - $7. So after taking all these fancy drugs for two years, and paying $175/a month with little sign of improvement, she's now much improved and paying $7 a month. Maybe it was the drug costs that were keeping her blood pressure up.

 

[kalmd]

What a great deal. I just looked up generic forms for the meds my family takes, and none of them are listed. We spend a small fortune in meds and that's with our insurance copay.

 

[Bruzilla]

What a great deal. I just looked up generic forms for the meds my family takes, and none of them are listed. We spend a small fortune in meds and that's with our insurance copay.

There were no generic equivalents for the drugs my wife was taking either. That's why she had been reluctant to follow up with WalMart. The thing is, doctors make money off the scripts they write for new drugs... which have no generic equivalent. The thing is you may not need the latest and greatest drug on the market. Most maladies can be treated with drugs that have been on the market for years, but docs don't make money off prescribing those drugs.

I had my wife go to her doctor with the WalMart list and ask "are there any drugs on this list that will work for me?" and not "are there any generic equivalents for the drug you have me on?" as the answer to the second question will most always be "no".

 

[toppick08]

I love me some Wal-Mart........

 

[Bruzilla]

Bruzilla, I'm glad your wife is doing so much better.

I am a little confused. Is it that the brand names cost so much that insurance only pays a portion or is it that insurance doesnt pay at all? Is the new (very) low price the prescription (co-pay? Can't think of the terminology)?

My Rx insurance has to be done online for ongoing/monthly meds so I may never get to see this but it's definitely good news.

Here's what I learned while working for Blue Cross Blue Shield. Drug companies make a new drug and have seven years to sell it without any competition. After seven years they'll usually release a generic equivalent and license the drug out to other companies. During that first seven years, the drug companies will supply doctors with giveaway samples to give to their patients to get them to try the drug, then when the doctor writes a script they get a kick-back or other reward. If the doctor writes a script for a generic they get nothing, so there's a strong incentive for them to write scripts for the latest and greatest brandname drugs on the market... which are also the most expensive.

The reason that WalMart and others started their programs was the Medicare Part D program. Under Part D, the government covered 75% of total drug costs up to $2,250 (that number goes up a little each year). After that, people had to pay 100% of most of their drug costs until they reached an out-of-pocket spending limit. Total drug costs are defined as the amount the government and the patient pays, so if someone is using an expensive brandname drug that $2,250 limit was reached quick. If someone used low cost generics, they could get drugs through the whole benefit year and never reach the $2,250 limit. Once people on Medicare had to start paying for their own drugs once they hit the $2,250 mark, they quickly lost the "only the best will do" mentality and started asking for lower-cost alternatives.

The result of this was a dramatic increase in demand for generics. Between 2005 and 2007, the number of the most commonly prescribed drugs for seniors available as generics went from 10% to over 50%, and has kept growing. Also, drug companies who used to wait seven years to release a generic now had to issue generics of their new drugs after only 2-3 years or loose market share. The result of all these new generics on the market increased the supply to the point where Wal Mart could start offering a huge number of generics for $4, and everyone can benefit.