Hey, We're Expected to Pay!

[flybye023]

Am I just being naive or what?

Around Memorial Day I came down with "a raging case of pinkeye with all the classic symptoms". I have been unemployed off and on this year and at that point was working through a temp agency so I had no insurance.

I go to the doctor knowing I would have to pay out of pocket. From previous visits (when I actually had insurance) I figured that the doctor visit alone would be about $60-80. I know this because I actually read my bills in the past even though insurance has covered the costs. I also realized that I would probably get a prescription and that I would have to pay that expense out of pocket too. I was hoping/estimating that my total bill would be $200 give or take. The doctor's visit ended up being $100.

So, I get to the pharmacy and hand in my prescription. The guy at the counter for some reason got me mixed up with my mom so a 5 minute transaction actually took about 15 because he got flustered and kept having to do things over which was annoying but what can ya do. I wait there patiently and eventually he and I get the confusion cleared up. They had a 25 minute wait so I just went back out to my car and listened to the radio.

When I got back in a different person was at the counter to ring me up. The prescription came to $85 (for 5mL of eyedrops )which brought my total costs to $185. A little under my estimate which was good right? So, I calmly pull out my credit card and hand it over to the cashier/pharmacy tech. She puts it through then remarks with a very surprised expression, "Wow. you took that well!"

Okay, in my world the medical equation is thus:

flybye023+pinkeye+no insurance= flybye pays for everything herself regardless of cost with no complaining.

What was my reaction supposed to be. From the cashier's reaction it probably should have been something else.

[Catwoman2965]

She was probably so used to people yelling and screaming about the cost of prescriptions that you were a pleasant surprise! It never ceases to amaze me; my plan is pretty decent; we pay, I think about $15 for generic and somewhere in the neighborhood of about $28-35 for non-generic - which to me, is pretty decent.

Also, if you take any meds on a regular basis, you can do mail order, 3 months at a time, and its a bit cheaper. You would think that people had to pay the full cost the way they bitch and moan. All it takes is looking at the receipt and at the FULL cost of the meds to see that we have a pretty good plan! I've paid about $25 for a $150 antibiotic, so I feel badly for people who have no insurance and have to pay it all out of pocket! Been there, done that....

[BookstoreEscapee]

Kinda sad that she was so surprised...

When my insurance switched from using social security #s to a different assigned # a few years ago, I had to refill my prescription one day, not realizing the switch had gone into effect, and I hadn't gotten my new card yet. So when I went to pick it up, they told me my insurance hadn't gone through. I was a little perturbed by that, understandably. The clerk said she could call the insurance company and find out what the problem was, and was able to get the correct number (I got my new card in the mail a few days later). I pay $25 for 30 days (they write it for 90 days but I can only get 30 in the store; if I did it by mail it would be $50 for the full 90 day prescription). I asked what it would be if I had to pay out of pocket, just in case, since I only had another day or two left and I can't stop taking it without major withdrawal side effects, and she told me it was $108 for 30 pills. If I didn't have insurance, I can guarantee I would not be taking the stuff...

[draftermatt]

I get that too. I have insurance, but it has a "deductible" on perscriptions. So when I go get my Prevacid the first of the year I have to pay the full price (around $180 for a month's supply) They always seem so surprised that I don't rant or say "that can't be right". The last time she asked me "Is that supposed to be that high?"