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Post by nashville11 on Jun 30, 2018 16:26:56 GMT
It's just too hot and too humid to have a coherent thought. It's not even noon yet, and the thermometer already says it's 96 degrees. I think it's possible my brain may be fried. Remember that old commercial with the egg frying on the sidewalk -- "This is your brain on drugs"? Well, that may be me today minus the drugs.
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Post by nashville11 on Jul 1, 2018 13:46:29 GMT
Good morning and welcome to July! This year seems to be flying by in a blur. Does it seem that way to you too, or is it just because it's been such a busy time for me that it seems to be going by extra fast? Does anyone have any special plans for the Fourth? Falling in the middle of the week as it does this year may be curbing some people's normal celebration. We don't have anything planned.
When the JA was campaigning he promised to do something about the soaring price of medication. That really hits home with me. I read this morning that he's supposed to announce his plan on Friday. I sincerely hope it is a real plan, and not just one to try and get people talking about something other than the Mueller investigation. I hope it has been researched well, and that knowledgeable people have formed the plan. If so and if he can get it passed, he will have my thanks. Unfortunately, thus far I haven't seen him do anything other than feed red meat to his base and promote himself. But, there is always hope so I truly hope this time his promise will be something more than just pie in the sky.
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Post by DotRen on Jul 1, 2018 14:44:05 GMT
Yes, hard to believe the year is 1/2 over! As for medications, I'll believe it when I see it. We're lucky, neither DH or I are on any prescriptions. The dog is lol - and his would be $150 and $40 at the vet. I use GoodRX and get them for $67 and $17. The $17 is his antihistamines, he takes a lot (4 a day). The other is an occasional antibiotic for skin and ear infection. Thankfully that one's only 1-2x a year. But Son needed a hepatitis a shot a while back (one of the people he works with had it, so son got the shot "just in case")and it was less than 1/2 the cost with goodrx from the Kroger pharmacy.
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Post by nashville11 on Jul 1, 2018 17:27:07 GMT
Yes, DotRen , I'll be really surprised if anything serious happens about the cost of meds too. But, still I hope. This is a real hot button issue for me, and I can really get on the soapbox about it. I have Medicare and a Part D plan (one of the best ones out there), but both DH and I are so quickly in the donut hole it's not funny. Most of my meds now are generic which isn't so bad, but both DH and I take Trulicity to manage our diabetes. We order our meds through a mail order pharmacy sponsored by our insurance which helps a little with the cost. For the first 3 months of the year, I get a 90-day supply of Trulicity for just $90 (times 2 for the both of us, so $180). But, then we are in the donut hole, so for the rest of the year each time we order another 90 day supply, we each pay $756 for 90-days. Still, we are lucky because we can afford to do that. There are many people who can not. My mom and dad also have a good Part D prescription insurance. However, for the two of them their share of the cost of their meds usually runs between $1,200 - $1,500 per month. When you add to that the $400 per day they are paying for the nursing home, the costs of long term medical care quickly become overwhelming. But my family is blessed compared to so many others out there. This is a serious problem for a large portion of the population, and that portion is getting larger every day.
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Post by DotRen on Jul 1, 2018 22:05:27 GMT
nashville11, that cost is so beyond ridiculous, I don't know how they can get away with it. My mothers best friend was on an insulin that was over $700 a month out of pocket. She could not afford it, and it took a lot of shouting to get her doctor to change it to a regular one that was less than $100 a month. I do think the pharmacies should not be allowed to pay doctors to get paid to push their brands.
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Post by nashville11 on Jul 1, 2018 22:43:38 GMT
The whole medical and pharmaceutical issue(s) is a very complex, and there's not going to be any simple solution to any of it. I do believe, however, that it is completely out of hand. One big problem with the pharmaceuticals is that (at least as I understand it) Medicare is not allowed to negotiate pricing with the big pharma companies. That's ridiculous! They don't buy paper for the copy machine unless it's been put out for bids first, yet they are not allowed to negotiate the costs of medicine. Guess who benefits from that? Certainly not the taxpayer/consumer. Other countries do allow negotiations on pricing. The exact same medicines can be bought in other countries for less. About 2 years ago my dad had an issue that the antibiotic cost was $2,500 for 5 pills. Turned out the medicine itself was actually manufactured in Canada. Had he been allowed to purchase it in Canada rather than in the US, it would have been considerably cheaper. Pharmaceutical companies should make a profit. They should make a good profit. But to allow them to just charge whatever they choose in our country while selling the same medicine far cheaper in another country (where they are still making a profit) is simply not something I understand. The only people I see benefiting are the politicians (on both sides of the aisle) who get big contributions from the pharmaceutical companies. As I said, in the overall picture while I may b*tch and grumble, my family is fortunate because we are able to afford what we need. But there are so very many out there who can not so they have to settle for not having the medicine they need, not having food, or having a medicine that does not help as much. There are some older medicines out there that would be far cheaper for my diabetes. But, I also have Stage 3 kidney disease. Those older medicines would cause my kidneys to deteriorate much faster, so I've been advised not to take them. Luckily for me, I can have the "good" stuff and protect my kidneys. I just feel badly for those who can't.
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