Posted on 07/25/2018 7:44:15 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
A Senate committee recently passed a bill allowing pharmacists to inform customers of cheaper prescription options.
The new legislation bans the so-called ‘gag clauses’ on contracts between pharmacies and insurers.
Such provisions prevent pharmacists from telling customers their prescription is cheaper if paid for with cash instead of using insurance.
The Senate bill is sponsored by Republican Senator Susan Collins and is aimed at bringing down health care costs.
Collins said the ‘gag clauses’ allowed insurers to increase their revenues by withholding information from customers.
(Excerpt) Read more at oann.com ...
Amazing that this wasn’t already effectively law with existing anti-trust laws. Tickerforum has relentlessly covered healthcare abuse in our system, which is nearly as bad as Euros/Canada, albeit in different ways.
How about informing the customers where their prescriptions are made, e.g., China? How about informing customers that the side effects they’re experiencing are because of the “fillers” in the prescriptions made in foreign countries?
Anyone doubting this, do your own research about generics coming from China, India, Costa Rica, etc. And find out how many “inspectors” there are in each country in relationship to how many labs.
They devastated anti-trust in Healthcare when they made HMO’s. Not sure when they did it for pharmacy.
I have sometimes been suspicious about this happening - however, last time I asked, the generic price would have been $90 compared to my much lower co-pay.
Just found out today that my wife’s and my prescription was made with Chinese carcinogens... Anybody else on Valsartan???
Yup. Have some from Mexico, which may include the Chinese chemical.
Solco and Teva are two of the mfg’s. Wife’s walgreens pulled all their stock.
Pretty much a given. What doesn’t. Come from other countries?
Hubby. Going to talk to his dr coming up.
I’m keeping my fingers crossed, my last reading (yesterday) was 111 over 75, and I’ve been off the BPM since 07/13. Lots of magnesium, Vitamin C, and fish oil just for starters.
Well thank you Susan Collins ... you finally did something useful.
Thanks for that.
I have to use a nasal spray for allergies. I usually just get the Clariton, but this year my doctor wrote me a prescription and called it in to Walgreens.
Now, my clariton nasal spray is usually about $20.... so I go to pick up this prescription (and we have pretty good insurance), and the bill is like $80...
So, I ask the pharmacist if there was a mistake, as this is a generic, and I got a prescription for it, isn’t that supposed to be cheaper? He double checked and explained that is my out of pocket cost for the generic.
I asked if this was like a super powerful version of Clariton that I prescribed.... he said “no”. I asked if the Clariton was the same? He said “yes”. I asked why would I pay $20 for the brand name and $80 for the generic that goes through my insurance. He flat out said “I certainly wouldn’t, neither should you.... and pointed to the Clariton on the shelf, which was ON SALE 2 bottles for $16....
Total scam they are running.
The .gov needs to STFU ABOUT ANYTHING THAT IS CONNECTED TO MEDICINE THEY HAVE DONE ENOUGH DAMAGE!!!
Oh, Lookey.
We propose a bill to fix what we screwed up while inserting other amendments to screw up even more stuff while we brag about fixing something we screwed up.
They already do
I have had prescriptions for a few things that were expensive through my insurance. I go home and first pull out the medication booklet from my insurance company to see what else they pay for and the cost. Sometimes it’s something like the milligrams. One example....doc prescribed Prilosec. Pharmacy said something like $40. The medication booklet said the lesser milligram capsule is $3. So the doc prescribes the lesser milligram capsule and doubles the dosage. You really have to watch that stuff.
Then there’s stuff that if I have a coupon from GoodRX is cheaper than my insurance. You have to watch that though because the pharmacy computer will ring up the wrong price for your next scrip because it ‘holds’ that you pay cash and they have to switch it back to your insurance.
Be prepared to do a little research is all I’m saying. Lol
Good to know. My Doc retired & I don’t have a replacement. Suggested Docs are running a 6 month backlog before an initial appointment.
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