Slump Pushing Cost of Drugs Out of Reach

[groovedaddy]

ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. — A year or so ago, when customers buttonholed the pharmacists at Almand’s Drug Store here the questions were invariably about dosing or side effects. These days, they are almost always about cost.

Can I get this as a generic? Is the co-pay really that high? Will you match Wal-Mart’s $4 price? “I’m out of Lexapro,” a woman pleaded one recent Tuesday, speaking of her antidepressant. “Can I just have four pills until payday on Friday?”

Some customers request prices for a fistful of prescriptions, and then say they can fill only the cheapest two. Others ask which are most important.

“It can be a hard question to answer,” said Traci W. Suber, the head pharmacist. “The only thing I can do is let them know what they’re for, get them the cheapest available and encourage them to come back for the others when they can.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/04/us/04pharmacy.html?th&emc=th

[Manifestor_of_Light]

1. Lots of things are not generic.

So I have to get the brand name which is quite expensive.

Lipitor for cholesterol, Allegra-D for allergies, Diovan for blood pressure.

I stopped taking my asthma meds because they cost too goddamn much
(Spiriva - $12,600,000.00 per pound).

[Stellabella]

2. That's why, whenever I'm at the pharmacy, I pay attention and see if anyone

can't afford their prescriptions.

I pay for them, since I'm lucky enough to have a good paying job.

I consider it my duty as an American.

[lib2DaBone]

3. The War In Iraq costs $430 Million a day.....

[EvolveOrConvolve]

4. In all honesty, the slump may have played a part in it

but the pharmaceutical companies also play a big part in pricing many customers out of the market with some of these drugs. Americans are essentially subsidizing the rest of the world's cheap medicine because all other 1st world countries have some sort of nationalized health care that allows them to negotiate extremely low prices for drugs.

[xchrom]

5. america needs a pay raise -- and socialized health care. nt

[wuvuj]

6. Inexpensive eyeglasses?

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[Manifestor_of_Light]

7. I used zennioptical.com

Cheap glasses! Good stuff!

www.zennioptical.com