Should We Require Insurers To Set More Reasonable Medication Copays?
By admin on Jan 30, 2010 in insurers
I’m not sure that copay is the right word…
For me, even though I have good insurance, name brand medications cost $50, and there is often no generic available. (For instance, I take Allegra D and Nasacort for allergies, which costs me $100.)
It’s outrageous. The big Pharmaceutical companies hold patents on their drugs which prevent anyone else from selling a generic version. I think this patent lasts around six years. Then what usually happens, is that they come out with a generic almost as expensive as their ‘name’ brand. It’s downright criminal. I watched 20/20. or Dateline, or one of those evening news shows a number of years ago, and the report was on the obscene profits big Pharma companies make. They gave an mind-boggling example – One company had a drug which they routinely sold to veterinarians for 50 cents a pill. Lo and behold, some cancer researchers discovered that this very same drug was effective in slowing down the spread of a certain type of cancer. The CEO of the company justified his company’s sale of the drug for use by humans for $400.00 a pill- same exact dose, same exact pill. His response was, “Well, I guess if these people want to live bad enough, they’ll come up with the money.” I am quite sure there is a special place in hell for these ‘people’.
mamanook | Jan 31, 2010 | Reply
Something people should learn about is cost and profit. Insurance companies merely add up the cost of providing prescriptions/services to people, tack on the profit they want/need and the customer/patient pays the premium, deductible, and copay. If insurers have to reduce what they can charge, they have to get the money from some source or go bankrupt. Insurers are merely one part of the problem of health cost.
Scott K | Jan 31, 2010 | Reply
I have been purchasing generic allegra-d online for the last 10 months and it is cheaper than in CVS. I do not have an insurance, so i pretty much have no choice! http://www.pharmacynextdoor.com/buy_alle?
Brian | Jan 31, 2010 | Reply
Insurers should get a human face.
Man | Jan 31, 2010 | Reply