I had read that the Harris people were very upset that Swift was not endorsing Harris-Walz. I guess they applied enough pressure on her to relent.
Here's my Rant-o-the-Day. My doctor is trying to adjust my BP meds, and has written a few prescriptions for different dosages. (Since I don't have money to burn, in some cases I can double up or split pills in half, but not always.) Her assistant called in scripts for metoprolol 100 mg and Crestor 5 mg to the local Walgreens. We typically use Walgreens for one-off or meds we need ASAP, leaving the on-going delivery stuff to Express Scripts which come in the mail. I "assumed" the meds are cheaper from Express Scripts but I was incorrect. I checked the Express Scripts account and see that the Metoprolol is $52 for 90 days and the Crestor is $12. Walgreens charged $54 for the Crestor (a $42 difference) and $27 for the Metoprolol. What the hell? So I canceled the Walgreens Rx for Crestor and had it transferred to Express Scripts to save $42. I picked up the other Rx because it was $20 cheaper at Walgreens. I guess I can add "comparison shop for drugs" to my to-do list.
I would think that Crestor would be no more than $10 for a 30 day supply at the local pharmacy. That's what Lipitor is.
I just looked. My last 90 day Lipitor refill from Express Scripts was free. Not a bad deal considering that I have a $0 premium for my Medicare script plan this year. (I assume there was an issue between the state and these guys, and this was the remedy. Even an insurance broker did not know why existing customers got a free year.) I also looked at an antibiotic my urologist had prescribed a while ago. The legacy CVS/Wellcare mail order price for 90 a day supply was close to $90. Walmart (GoodRx) is $38. Express Scripts is $16.
I have to admit, I have never considered prescription pricing. If I got a prescription, I'd just have the doctor call Walgreens and go pick it up. Then when I started BP meds, it was just more convenient to use Express Scripts. I suppose I always thought that there was some kind of price guidelines for medications but apparently I was off the mark as usual. I am not familiar with GoodRx or any of that stuff. I just use whatever's convenient and accepts our insurance.
I was shocked to see the mail order cost for my antibiotic. I always assumed mail order was the cheapest route. I've never shopped pricing for scripts until I got on Medicare and got the cheap plan. When I needed something off-plan, I started looking for ways to save money. One weird thing about GoodRx (and I don't think it's me) it that I've been on their site and searched for my antibiotic and could not find the dose or the #days I needed. Then I did a general web search and got a link back to the GoodRx site for it. So you sometimes have to search both ways. Walmart does not require the GoodRx coupon. I forget how it works with them, or why they always have the GoodRx price on file for me after I used it the first time. It's worth a web search and a chat with the pharmacy counter. (I never had to do this when I was on my employer's plan.)
GoodRx was the first (I think) discount drug vendor. There are now several. Several docs here recommend using it for generics, especially if they are not well covered by insurance, or if the docs want to use something for off-label use. Sometimes insurance requires justification even for generics but GoodRx does not. Some doctors will even shop for you and keep you posted on the cheapest place to use GoodRx. It is not always the cheapest way to go if you have good insurance, but it never hurts to look.
@Beth Gallagher - try other pharmacies - Walmart is cheaper than anyone one else and GoodRx can be used there. Mark is on some of your BP medicine - pay nothing except one is $30 for 90 days. We pay nothing for Lipitor. Only expensive medicine is my inhaler original price is over $550 dollars, I pay $84.47 per month. At first of year first two months are very expensive for this medicine. Also Canada is much cheaper than the US. just and idea fer ya!
This compounded antibiotic I take for my catheter bacteria is about $170/month for the first 2 months of the year. By April the cost drops to $38.
That's what I was saying; Walgreens was cheaper on one prescription but not the other. I don't want to spend all my time comparing prices on drugs so I wish they would standardize pricing. I'm sure a lot has to do with the different insurance coverages that we all have, too.