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Norm In Norman
5/11/2006, 08:16 AM
Last month I paid a $25 copay for a bottle of flonase through my insurance. In the past month or so they came out with a generic flonase. "Bully for me!" I think. "I don't have to pay $25 for flonase any more!" Well guess the **** what! I GOT TO PAY $25 FOR THE GENERIC VERSION TOO! Come to find out, they decided to raise the price of the brand name to $41, presumably so we could keep paying the same price we were so comfortable paying before! Well, except now it's for the generic.

I am in the process of locating the person to kill right now.

Am I off base on this? Or should I just lube up and take it without complaining.

Mjcpr
5/11/2006, 08:18 AM
I thought there was a co-pay amount for generic drugs and that amount didn't change depending on the drug.

Maybe not.

Sooner in Tampa
5/11/2006, 08:19 AM
BOHICA....Norm

BTW, I have to pay $9 co-pay for my perscriptions of Flonase.

BOHICA

Sooner in Tampa
5/11/2006, 08:20 AM
I thought there was a co-pay amount for generic drugs and that amount didn't change depending on the drug.

Maybe not.That is what I thought too. Our generic co-pay is $3...Publix is a great pharmacy.

Mjcpr
5/11/2006, 08:21 AM
That is what I thought too. Our generic co-pay is $3...Publix is a great pharmacy.

Dang...ours is $10 for all generics.

OUDoc
5/11/2006, 08:24 AM
The first guy to market the generic always seems to ride to profits of the original. The same thing is happening right now for generic Allegra. As more companies make the generic for Flonase, the price will come down. Kill at will, Norm.
See, it's not me screwing you guys around!

Norm In Norman
5/11/2006, 08:25 AM
Yes, but you guys don't work for the state, where they **** you and tell you you like it.

I pay different prices for different stuff. I've paid less than $3 for antibiotics before. I also paid $60 for 30 zyrtec kids chewables (not again though). Usually though, the generic prices are pretty cheap, then there is the approved name brand which is a max of $25 and then non-approved name brand which is like $60.

I guess they think more complicated = better.

Mjcpr
5/11/2006, 08:28 AM
Norm, can you do the mail order 3-month supply thing with your insurance company? I don't have recurring prescriptions but my grandmother can order hers by mail and it's much cheaper than getting it from a pharmacy.

Here's some info (http://www.medcohealth.com/medco/consumer/clients/mailServices.jsp?msArticle=Service-Overview&msLink=/consumer/mybenefitsr/presbenmain.jsp&BV_SessionID=@@@@0969375581.1147353974-mm396871347548@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccccaddhkgigglhcfklcgffdghfdfgl.0)

Norm In Norman
5/11/2006, 08:30 AM
The first guy to market the generic always seems to ride to profits of the original. The same thing is happening right now for generic Allegra. As more companies make the generic for Flonase, the price will come down. Kill at will, Norm.
See, it's not me screwing you guys around!
I would ask if there is going to be generic zyrtec and be all excited when you said yes, but I'll just pay a premium anyway.

Talk about gas prices - I must be paying about $5000 per gallon for this stuff. Maybe more than that.

Norm In Norman
5/11/2006, 08:33 AM
Norm, can you do the mail order 3-month supply thing with your insurance company? I don't have recurring prescriptions but my grandmother can order hers by mail and it's much cheaper than getting it from a pharmacy.

Here's some info (http://www.medcohealth.com/medco/consumer/clients/mailServices.jsp?msArticle=Service-Overview&msLink=/consumer/mybenefitsr/presbenmain.jsp&BV_SessionID=@@@@0969375581.1147353974-mm396871347548@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccccaddhkgigglhcfklcgffdghfdfgl.0)
Well, that's my provider but nobody ever told us we could order the stuff online before. They give us 100 pages to read about benefits and never once told us we can mail order our meds for cheaper. I doubt it works for me though.

Osce0la
5/11/2006, 08:34 AM
When my wife started taking birth control a couple of months after having our son, her birth control prescription was $45. A couple of months later it dropped to $25. It stayed at $25 for a few months, and the last time we went and had it filled it jumped back up to $41 dollars and some change...I'm still trying to get that figured out. I'm in the process of trying to call people (the pharmacy, my insurance company) to find out why the rates keep changing, and if there is a way I can be refunded the extra money we've had to pay if indeed it is $25. As far as I know my co-pay for prescriptions is $25.

Hamhock
5/11/2006, 08:36 AM
I pay $74/month for Flonase.

Cry. Me. A. River.

Hamhock
5/11/2006, 08:37 AM
Correction:

I pay $74/month for my Flonase

AND

$74/month for my daughter's Flonase.

Cry. Me. Two. Rivers.

Norm In Norman
5/11/2006, 08:38 AM
And you have insurance?

Mjcpr
5/11/2006, 08:38 AM
Do you not have medical/prescription coverage?

Hamhock
5/11/2006, 08:44 AM
Our health insurance has no drug card/pharmacy benefit. We get a discount, rest goes to deductible.

BeetDigger
5/11/2006, 08:46 AM
I have a friend that works at one of the Pharmacy Benefit Managment (PBM) companies. He was there for three years and still cannot explain all of the revenue sources for that company. If you draw the revenue model for those companies you get more criss-cossing lines and loops than you can shake a stick at. It ends up looking like a drawing a three year old would make. Given that, I am surprised that prices don't change weekly.

Norm In Norman
5/11/2006, 08:54 AM
I just checked that site, and seeing that I clicked to give me the price for ordering online and it ignored it and gave me the pharmacy price, I guess I can't order it that way. Figures.

Somehow, they pay the same amount for brand name and generic. Yeah, they didn't just pull THOSE numbers out of their ***. I seriously doubt flonase went up $20 in the past month.

Scott D
5/11/2006, 08:55 AM
Those pharmacies are shady places man...I know. I have to be in one on Friday.

OUDoc
5/11/2006, 09:05 AM
I would ask if there is going to be generic zyrtec and be all excited when you said yes, but I'll just pay a premium anyway.

Not yet. I don't know when their patent runs out. They don't even give me many samples any more since their competition (Allegra) has gone generic. And, thanks to the meth law, they won't give me any Zyrtec-D (only vouchers). I'm a freaking doctor, guys! :rolleyes:

slickdawg
5/11/2006, 09:09 AM
Last month I paid a $25 copay for a bottle of flonase through my insurance. In the past month or so they came out with a generic flonase. "Bully for me!" I think. "I don't have to pay $25 for flonase any more!" Well guess the **** what! I GOT TO PAY $25 FOR THE GENERIC VERSION TOO! Come to find out, they decided to raise the price of the brand name to $41, presumably so we could keep paying the same price we were so comfortable paying before! Well, except now it's for the generic.

I am in the process of locating the person to kill right now.

Am I off base on this? Or should I just lube up and take it without complaining.


I'd be pretty pizzed off on that one.

IB4OU2
5/11/2006, 09:12 AM
I had to call my medical insurance company yesterday and remind them of a $ 543 perscription claim that was submitted in January and has yet to be paid. They told me the check was in the mail. :mad:

SoonerInKCMO
5/11/2006, 09:12 AM
I have a friend that works at one of the Pharmacy Benefit Managment (PBM) companies. He was there for three years and still cannot explain all of the revenue sources for that company. If you draw the revenue model for those companies you get more criss-cossing lines and loops than you can shake a stick at. It ends up looking like a drawing a three year old would make. Given that, I am surprised that prices don't change weekly.

Argus?

Scott D
5/11/2006, 09:14 AM
Not yet. I don't know when their patent runs out. They don't even give me many samples any more since their competition (Allegra) has gone generic. And, thanks to the meth law, they won't give me any Zyrtec-D (only vouchers). I'm a freaking doctor, guys! :rolleyes:

you would make my life easier if you took more samples from the Eli Lilly reps...tia. :)

BeetDigger
5/11/2006, 09:35 AM
Argus?


No, it is the one here in Dallas. The name is escaping me at the moment. There are only three or four big one's left. They have all merged together. Express Scripts is one, Merck/Medco is another one. Advance PCS used to be their name, but I think due to a merger, they are called something else.

Norm In Norman
5/11/2006, 09:42 AM
Not yet. I don't know when their patent runs out. They don't even give me many samples any more since their competition (Allegra) has gone generic. And, thanks to the meth law, they won't give me any Zyrtec-D (only vouchers). I'm a freaking doctor, guys! :rolleyes:
That reminds me of my old doctor. One time I went in and he told me since my BP is borderline high I shouldn't ever take a decongestant. The next time I come in he prescibes Zyrtec-D. I didn't realize the D stands for decongestant until later. That bastard.

BeetDigger
5/11/2006, 10:06 AM
That reminds me of my old doctor. One time I went in and he told me since my BP is borderline high I shouldn't ever take a decongestant. The next time I come in he prescibes Zyrtec-D. I didn't realize the D stands for decongestant until later. That bastard.



Hello malpractice. You should sue him. Sounds like easy money. :texan:

sooner n houston
5/11/2006, 10:09 AM
You people need to price your drugs at a walmart pharmacy, seriously!

Mjcpr
5/11/2006, 10:09 AM
I just checked that site, and seeing that I clicked to give me the price for ordering online and it ignored it and gave me the pharmacy price, I guess I can't order it that way. Figures.

Somehow, they pay the same amount for brand name and generic. Yeah, they didn't just pull THOSE numbers out of their ***. I seriously doubt flonase went up $20 in the past month.

You need to call them.....I don't know why you wouldn't be able to use that service.

Norm In Norman
5/11/2006, 10:17 AM
Looking on there, it looked like only certain plans could make use of that for whatever reason.

BeetDigger
5/11/2006, 10:19 AM
Looking on there, it looked like only certain plans could make use of that for whatever reason.


The Luck of the Norm strikes again.