Presecription home delivery vs retail pharmacy

[Pellice]

Ugh. My prescription company defaulted me to home delivery in 90 day increments, and today I went to the website and the inevitable registration, password, security questions. I was fully intending to opt out and return to my retail pharmacy, but the savings are just too convincing. My prescription is $30 for 90 days at the pharmacy, only $5 for home delivery. Even if it had been close I would have chosen the pharmacy - they are good people, support local teams, etc. But that's just too much in savings.

Still, I don't like that retail pharmacies are being driven out of business. I could care less about the big retail box stores that drove others out of business, but I think these pharmacies may render real benefits to the community. But ... that's too much in savings.

 

[aja8888]

FYI: I hope your mail delivery service is responsible and reliable. Every three months, I get a nearby lady's prescriptions in my mailbox. She lives about 2 miles from us so I just deliver them myself since the "mail person" is long gone. The package label is her address.

This may have gotten fixed (I don't know how though) as it's been a good while since I have seen the pill envelope.

 

[Golden sunsets]

All of the pharmacies in our area are chains, so the "local" factor doesn't really exist. Mail order for a 90 day supply delivered to my mailbox is hard to beat, not to mention less expensive.

 

[CardsFan]

All of the pharmacies in our area are chains, so the "local" factor doesn't really exist. Mail order for a 90 day supply delivered to my mailbox is hard to beat, not to mention less expensive.

+1

Plus the 90 day orders actually refill after about 75 days (if on auto re-fill). I now have an extra 90 day supply of my normal meds. A big plus if there is an issue, or you change suppliers. When I get too many, I will skip a re-fill. But I never have to worry if I have enough to take a long trip.

 

[Another Reader]

I want to see the person that fills the prescription, in case there is a mistake. Who knows how things are dispensed in a warehouse?

 

[ivinsfan]

I want to see the person that fills the prescription, in case there is a mistake. Who knows how things are dispensed in a warehouse?

Anyone can make a mistake and you yourself need to know exactly what this med should look like. you can find this online and on places like GoodRx..

 

[Another Reader]

Anyone can make a mistake and you yourself need to know exactly what this med should look like. you can find this online and on places like GoodRx..

I compare all medications I can with their picture. I wish I could identify this pill. Unfortunately, it's a small white pill, scored in the middle, with very tiny markings I can't read in good light with a magnifying glass. All I can do is compare one from the new bottle to one from the old and hope it's ok.

 

[harley]

I compare all medications I can with their picture. I wish I could identify this pill. Unfortunately, it's a small white pill, scored in the middle, with very tiny markings I can't read in good light with a magnifying glass. All I can do is compare one from the new bottle to one from the old and hope it's ok.

Look at the label, and then do an image comparison through Google. This shouldn't be hard.

If there's only one, either toss it or take it with a shot of bourbon. Maybe it's oxy.

 

[CardsFan]

I compare all medications I can with their picture. I wish I could identify this pill. Unfortunately, it's a small white pill, scored in the middle, with very tiny markings I can't read in good light with a magnifying glass. All I can do is compare one from the new bottle to one from the old and hope it's ok.

Actually, most generics are made in a variety of sizes, colors, and shapes.
So you need to match the manufacturer with the drug, to see what it should look like.

 

[Another Reader]

Actually, most generics are made in a variety of sizes, colors, and shapes.
So you need to match the manufacturer with the drug, to see what it should look like.

All the more reason for my heirs to have someone to sue when I am poisoned by the wrong drug....

CVS is good about telling you on the label what is supposed to be inside. Color of the pill, shape and what is imprinted on the tablet. I just have a vision of a robot in a warehouse with no human supervision being programmed one row off in selecting the drugs to dispense. No human review, mistake discovered a week later when victims start arriving at hospitals all over the country.

 

[joeea]

I think these pharmacies may render real benefits to the community. But ... that's too much in savings.

I can't think of any benefits my local pharmacy rendered for me. And as far as I can tell, they are doing a booming business without my prescriptions.

I get mine via mail order whenever possible.

 

[friar1610]

I am so happy to have an excellent retiree prescription plan with modest copays and on-line renewals for 90 days of maintenance meds that I'm perfectly satisfied to have the mailman bring them!

 

[CaptTom]

Funny thing, when our "local" pharmacy chain bought out our employer's prescription plan, the large "90-days-on-line" discount went away, and you could get the same price by picking it up in person.

The true locally-owned pharmacies are long gone, and the store is just one link in a supply chain that's ripping off the public, with plenty of help from the politicians they've purchased.

 

[Car-Guy]

The DW has "one" prescription that is cheaper when bought at the local pharmacy. The manufacturer has a discount program that effectively pays for whatever the drug insurance doesn't pay for on this drug. (yes, making if free to us). For some reason, the drug insurance company will not accept/participate in this particular manufactures discount program so we would end up paying about 30 to 40% of the cost per refill if we bought from them. I'll take free any day. The program has been going on for at least five years that I know of and there's been no mention of ending it. No special requirements to qualify for the program, just sign up "on line" annually with the manufacture.

The drug insurance company actually called us one time and told us by participating in this program, it actually increased the cost of drugs to them.

 

[ivinsfan]

The DW has "one" prescription that is cheaper when bought at the local pharmacy. The manufacturer has a discount program that effectively pays for whatever the drug insurance doesn't pay for on this drug. (yes, making if free to us). For some reason, the drug insurance company will not accept/participate in this particular manufactures discount program so we would end up paying about 30 to 40% of the cost per refill if we bought from them. I'll take free any day. The program has been going on for at least five years that I know of and there's been no mention of ending it. No special requirements to qualify for the program, just sign up "on line" annually with the manufacture.

The drug insurance company actually called us one time and told us by participating in this program, it actually increased the cost of drugs to them.

CarGuy I hope you apologized profusely to the insurance company..

 

[Another Reader]

CarGuy I hope you apologized profusely to the insurance company..

And sent them a check for the difference!

 

[CyclingInvestor]

I have also started switching over to home delivery. The cost savings are just too high to ignore.

 

[PaunchyPirate]

I use the online pharmacy home delivery (3 months supply) for all my meds except one and have never had an issue. I do disable AUTOMATIC refilling as I prefer to initiate refills when I want them sent to me due to frequent travel spurts which have me away from home a fair amount. The last prescription requires refrigeration and I prefer to get it from a local retail pharmacy. It also has a manufacturer rebate that they easily handle to cut my price in half from what my insurance company makes me pay. This actually makes it cheaper from the local pharmacy than it would be from the online pharmacy. I haven't seen a way to handle this type of rebate using the online pharmacy. I have a smooth routine that works well using this approach.

 

[scrabbler1]

After I was diagnosed with Diabetes 4 years ago, I was allowed up to one refill for each drug at my local pharmacy before I had to switch to Express Scripts in order to have the drugs still covered. It was a nightmare with Express Scripts, for me and my doctor's office which had to deal with a lot of red tape with ES in order to keep the prescriptions going. Deliveries got repeatedly delayed, and I had to get an emergency one-week supply authorized to my local Rite-Aid pharmacy while I waited for my regular supply.


At the end of 2015, I happily switched to another insurance company, one which did not require ES but allowed me to use my local CVS to get my drugs. I was eligible for a small discount if I stayed with a mail-order firm but I easily turned that down. I have had some minor issues with CVS (they are next to my main supermarket, so I am always nearby), but they actually charge me way less ($23 less per month) for my main drug than what my insurance company's copay indicates!

 

[Sunset]

The DW has "one" prescription that is cheaper when bought at the local pharmacy. The manufacturer has a discount program that effectively pays for whatever the drug insurance doesn't pay for on this drug. (yes, making if free to us). For some reason, the drug insurance company will not accept/participate in this particular manufactures discount program so we would end up paying about 30 to 40% of the cost per refill if we bought from them. I'll take free any day. The program has been going on for at least five years that I know of and there's been no mention of ending it. No special requirements to qualify for the program, just sign up "on line" annually with the manufacture.

The drug insurance company actually called us one time and told us by participating in this program, it actually increased the cost of drugs to them.

Thanks, I never heard of this type of thing, so will have to ask DW if we overpay for any of our drugs.

 

[friar1610]

After I was diagnosed with Diabetes 4 years ago, I was allowed up to one refill for each drug at my local pharmacy before I had to switch to Express Scripts in order to have the drugs still covered. It was a nightmare with Express Scripts, for me and my doctor's office which had to deal with a lot of red tape with ES in order to keep the prescriptions going. Deliveries got repeatedly delayed, and I had to get an emergency one-week supply authorized to my local Rite-Aid pharmacy while I waited for my regular supply.


At the end of 2015, I happily switched to another insurance company, one which did not require ES but allowed me to use my local CVS to get my drugs. I was eligible for a small discount if I stayed with a mail-order firm but I easily turned that down. I have had some minor issues with CVS (they are next to my main supermarket, so I am always nearby), but they actually charge me way less ($23 less per month) for my main drug than what my insurance company's copay indicates!

I haven't had the experience you had (switching to Express Scripts from another provider, but my experience with ES has been more than satisfactory. I do all the ordering of refills on-line and the scrips routinely show up in about a week. I found their automated phone calls and emails telling me it was time to reorder to be a bit annoying, but I turned them off with no problem. So I'm basically a satisfied customer.