RX Help For Client. Suggestions Much Appreciated....

[InsuranceGuy29]

I have a client on the the Healthcare Marketplace that takes Tradjenta, for her diabetes. For those that are unaware....this medication is insanely expensive, and her deductible is sky high. They won't begin to cover anything until her deductible is met.

I looked into it and Tradjenta has a supposed manufacturers discount card from the website. I got her set up with it, but she said they barely knocked anything off. I also looked into regular discount cards, like GoodRX, and NationalRx, but again, cost is basically right there with the retail cost.

I am kind of ignorant to how Canadian pharmacies work, but I believe they're perfectly legal, as long as someone has a valid RX. Is this correct? And if so, does anyone know of any reputable ones I could suggest? Thank you for any and all help!

 

[LostDollar]

(caveat, I am not an insurance agent.)

Threads for background reading for you:

https://insurance-forums.com/commun...cription-meds-from-canada.98936/#post-1309543

https://insurance-forums.com/community/threads/progressiverx-goodrx-pdp-alternative.89422/

https://insurance-forums.com/commun...mendations-for-canadian-pharmacy.84815/page-2

Trajenta (no d) comes up on both ProgressiveRX and several pharmacies on the canadian pharmacy checker.

I have used ProgressiveRX and had no problems with them.

The reading I have done on the Canadian pharmacy stuff suggests that an inclusion in the Pharmacy Checker listings is an indication of reliability for the Canadian pharmacy. One of the ones that comes up with the Trajenta is Price Pro Pharmacy. They are one of the Canadian Pharmacies I have used and I have had no problems with them either.

(Note, I have seen multiple recommendations over the last 2 years for Blue Sky Drugs and I don't think they are on the pharmacy checker site-so you could check their pricing on what you want as well.)

You can note my comment in the first link above in regard to delayed receipt of one order-probably due to customs inspection. That thread also has legality discussions.

Best wishes on solving the issue for your client.

LD

 

[fed up]

Have the pharmacist ring the drug as No Insurance and then apply the savings card for the $10 copay. My pharmacist did this with my injectibles and I never had to go through the rebate nonsense

 

[William Clevenger]

This is a stock email I send to my clients who are struggling with the cost of RX:
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The cost of prescription drugs in the US is higher than in any country in the world... not just a little higher, a lot higher. You will find this a very illuminating article: US Drug Prices vs The World

I have dealt with the problem of high priced drugs both personally and professionally for many years. There are discount cards from all over, specialty pricing offered by some of the major chains, pharmacy plans and ways of obtaining drugs from outside the country. If you start looking at all of these, it will drive you crazy. In particular, discount cards sound great and do work occasionally. Relying on discount cards, however, can be very frustrating. Here are some recommendations:

One of the simplest solutions is a plan offered by TruScript. Their pricing is excellent, you can use their service almost anywhere, and their cost for membership is low. Outside of a good carrier-based prescription drug plan, TruScript is the only genuine prescription drug plan I have found. You can check drug prices easily at Search | TruScript. If this is of interest, I can assist in setting up your membership.

The best discount plan I have found is Good RX: http://bit.ly/2WHMpQw. I use Good RX all the time to check the cost of drugs.

Finally, consider PharmacyChecker. About PharmacyChecker.com | PharmacyChecker.com helps consumers find the lowest prices on prescription medication among licensed U.S. and international pharmacies. They are the only independent company that verifies international online pharmacies and compares prescription drug prices. They were formed in 2002 when their founder saw that increasing numbers of Americans were looking on the Internet to save money on medication but did not have adequate information to protect their health. Their verifications and price comparisons have been referenced by AARP Magazine, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and many others.

I have personally purchased drugs from outside the US. As long as you use a reputable source, the drugs are just as good as those purchased in the US and dramatically less costly. The process is somewhat cumbersome but worth the effort when you find a worthwhile savings. I believe you will find that PharmacyChecker will be important for very costly drugs.
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Hope this is of value. The Rx problem in the USA is unconscionable and is one of the most successful collusions ever accomplished by American industry.

Bill Clevenger

 

[LostDollar]

(Again, caveat, not an agent)

Here is another possible option for some people and some drugs:

https://clark.com/health-health-care/save-prescription-drugs-pill-splitting/

One of the medications I take comes in 4 different dosages. For some reason, the dosage I am prescribed is more expensive and a bit harder to find (than the other 3) from the (Asian) Indian drug manufacturers in the Canadian Pharmacy listings.

I remarked on this the last time I saw my doctor to get a new prescription. He asked me if I had considered buying a higher dosage and splitting the pills. I had thought about this before, but had no idea how he could write a valid prescription for a one a day pill in a higher dosage than I needed, so I didn't figure it was possible. When he asked, I just told him I'd thought that would be more trouble than it was worth-he said it didn't matter to him-and we left it there. In retrospect, with the comments in this article, I probably should have thought to explore that possibility further with him. Maybe next year.

Just a side note for anyone considering this option-I have done some reading about pill splitting for OTC meds, and a recurring comment is that you should not split too large a supply at once because the split surfaces of the pill do not have a protective coating an will deteriorate faster.

(And in case someone reading this has never seen anything else about pill splitting--some pills are not designed to be split. YOU MAY ENDANGER YOUR HEALTH IF YOU DO. That is why they say to talk to your doctor. If you are going to split an OTC pill, be sure it is one that is designed to be split first. Doctor, Pharmacist, internet reading, etc.)