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From the Tribune Herald....
Apparently this CoH program provides a substantial discount to everyone on prescription drugs not covered by insurance, or if the discount is a better deal than the insurance provides it can be used instead of the insurance.
http://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/arti...ocal03.txt
It does make me wonder about
tiered pricing in medication. Which means that a product might be priced one way for insurance or government accounts (higher) and another way for individuals.
I have had local experiences where, when paying for medical services, I've been given a different price because I was or was not insured at the time.
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Not to totally condemn this as I guess something is better than nothing but.....
Who pays for full price prescriptions? Anyone who is employed in Hawaii and makes a living has some form of prescription drug coverage and can't use this discount. Same with retired people and parents with children on welfare. This is basically worthless to vast majority of Hawaii's population.
If they're going to advertise and offer something that will help reduce health care cost in Hawaii...at least offer us something that the majority of residents in this state can use. While I understand that this 20% discount is aimed specifically at people without insurance...the obscene prices of meds these days only makes them alittle less obscene and still unaffordable.
Here is one that will help people "with insurance".... Safeway in Hawaii just initiated a prescription drug punch card. Every time you get a prescription filled at safeway...they punch your card. After 5 punches you get a $5.00 Safeway cash card...after 10 punches you get "another" cash card for $10.00 and after 15 total punches you get "another" cash card for $15.00 for a total of $30.00 for 15 total prescription refills even if you have insurance to cover the cost and you can combine all your family prescriptions on the card.
Then they will issue you another card. I just filled mine and used the $30.00 to buy food for my family.
Much Better system
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Ummm, doesn't Walmart offer a $4 flat fee prescription program for most medications?
Check this out...
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/catalog.gsp?cat=546834
I get everything through Kaiser so I haven't use this but I may have to switch if Kasier copays keep going up!
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Yes..Walmart does have a very good co-payment program. But I believe Safeway also has $4.00 co-pay for generic drugs, although non-generic is $8.00. But it's irrelavent in my case since I have 100% med insurance and the $30.00 Safeway card is just a free bonus.
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Macuu222 i pay full price for prescriptions cause i'm self employed and my health plan does not include drug, dental or vision.
So consider yourself lucky and please know that there are plenty people like me who this will help.
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quote:
Originally posted by macuu222
Not to totally condemn this as I guess something is better than nothing but.....
Who pays for full price prescriptions? Anyone who is employed in Hawaii and makes a living has some form of prescription drug coverage and can't use this discount. Same with retired people and parents with children on welfare. This is basically worthless to vast majority of Hawaii's population.
If they're going to advertise and offer something that will help reduce health care cost in Hawaii...at least offer us something that the majority of residents in this state can use. While I understand that this 20% discount is aimed specifically at people without insurance...the obscene prices of meds these days only makes them alittle less obscene and still unaffordable.
Here is one that will help people "with insurance".... Safeway in Hawaii just initiated a prescription drug punch card. Every time you get a prescription filled at safeway...they punch your card. After 5 punches you get a $5.00 Safeway cash card...after 10 punches you get "another" cash card for $10.00 and after 15 total punches you get "another" cash card for $15.00 for a total of $30.00 for 15 total prescription refills even if you have insurance to cover the cost and you can combine all your family prescriptions on the card.
Then they will issue you another card. I just filled mine and used the $30.00 to buy food for my family.
Much Better system
Maybe Safeway should embrace their "buy one,and get the second one for free". with their pharmacy too?
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Aikahimomma....Sorry if I hit a nerve with my opinion. I knew that there must be people out there like yourself that payed full price for meds. My main gripe is that if they're going to offer something that will reduce health care cost to people in hawaii...make sure that it's something that everyone can benefit from.
Pharmacy's are flexable on their pricing system dependant on many factors. All this bill does is standardize what they have already been doing so that now "every" pharmacy in Hawaii offers a 20% discount to full price cash customers with the card. Before this bill, pharmacy's offered all kinds of incentives and cash discounts (some offering up to %50 savings for a limited time) for full price customers...but it was different from store to store and month to month.
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i agree...the whole state of health care has become a nightmare...it's very discouraging to me as a nurse....
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quote:
Originally posted by Rob Tucker
It does make me wonder about tiered pricing in medication. Which means that a product might be priced one way for insurance or government accounts (higher) and another way for individuals.
I have had local experiences where, when paying for medical services, I've been given a different price because I was or was not insured at the time.
Before I weigh in, has your experience been that the cost of service quoted with insurance is higher or lower versus without insurance and in the final outcome was what was actually paid higher with or without insurance?
