Prescription Meds...

[BCB]

I am fortunate to have a job that provides a prescription plan as a benefit. Today I got a 30 gram tube of Elidel (no generic equivilent yet available) which is used to treat dry skin problems that occur sometimes in the winter months. Regardless, I was responsible to pay approximately 1/3 of the actual cost of the prescription. The actual price of the tube of crème without a prescription plan is $90.99. Now then, if a person does the math, that equates to around $1377 per pound. I really wonder if this stuff costs that much to produce/sell or if the drug company is making about 90% profit and laughing all the way to the business luncheons? Amazing…BCB

[redneckdan]

i have insurance through the university. It is cheaper for me to buy 90 days of my medication out of pocket than to by it 30 days at a time through the university insurance program.

[Scrounger]

The drug companies have to spend millions of dollars over years of research to find medicines that are safe to use and effective. They get their money back by selling it at a large profit for awhile. Eventually someone invents a better one or a generic substitute. Then no one buys their product anymore. And that is why medicines are so expensive. My brother-in-law is taking "fusion treatment" once a week. He started out taking them three times a week. They cost $2700 per treatment and neither Medicare nor his Blue Cross cover them. Not even a small percentage. I think I'd take the 14 cent solution myself. I am not defending the drug companies because they need no defense. Same reason we pay billions to have armies and navies sit around on their butts in peacetime and develop new weapons. So it's there when we need it. But think about this: What sense does it make to invent more and more expensive medicines and medical machines and higher priced medical treatment just so people can stay alive longer, all to often longer than their usefullness or will to live is there, just to drain money out of Medicare and Social Security, both of whom will soon be broke? I am one of the lucky ones. I have a health insurance plan (Health Plan of Nevada) because I am a retired Federal employee. When I reached 65 I also got Medicare or in my case a Medicare HMO, Senior Diminsions. Now when I go to the doctor or get a prescription, one company pays for most of the charge and the other company pays my co-pay. Together, they cost me about $120 a month in premiums. And that's all.

[rockrat]

Makes you wonder about drug cost though. I just refilled my zetia prescription. 100 of those suckers cost me $257(self employed, I pay all of it!!), up from $187 only 4 months ago. Don't tell me their cost went up 40% in 4 months

[waksupi]

Fact #1.
We all gonna die, eventually.

Fact #2.
If you get sick, the doctors will keep you alive, as long as you can pay.

Fact #3.
If you do all the stuff you like to do, smoke, eat, and drink, all you like to, you will probably die younger.

Fact #4.
If you really watch you health, don't take any chances, and do what the doctor says, you can live to be a very old person.

All this taken into consideration, I think of all the real old folks I know. Many don't leave thier homes. Most are crippled up from infirmities. They do nothing during the day, more useful than watching TV.

I made my decision, some years ago. I will continue to live my life as I want, and not worry about an early death. I prefer to enjoy myself fully during my life, and not stretch it onwards for no purpose. If I reach a point I can no longer contribute positively to the world, I may as well be gone. I know that where I go, will most likely be better from whence I came. Not that I don't enjoy life, and every sunrise. I just realize, that none of us are getting out of this alive!

I'll bet it is all the accumulated lead fumes....

Signed,
The Refined Redneck

[MGySgt]

A elderly gentleman goes to the Doctors. He asks How am I doing.

The Doc asks Do you smoke, no say the man, I gave that up.

The Doc asks Do you drink, no say the man, I gave that up too.

The Doc asks Do you eat read meat, no say the man, I gave that up too.

The Doc asks Do you carouse with wild women, no say the man, I gave that up too.

The gentleman asks will I live a long life?

The Doc just asks Why would you want to?


My thoughts exactly - enjoy life while you can!

Drew

[StarMetal]

MGySgt

That reminded bout the redneck hillbilly that went to the doctors and the doctor was asking him a bunch of questions to figure out what was the matter with him. The last question the dr asked was "Is your wife a nagger?'' The hillbilly replied "HELL NO she AINT NO NAGGER!!!! She a white lady!!".

Joe

[Topper]

70-year-old George went for his annual physical.
All of his tests came back with normal results.
Dr. Smith said, "George, everything looks great physically. How are you doing mentally and emotionally?
Are you at peace with yourself, and do you have a good relationship with your God?"

George replied, "God and me are tight.
He knows I have poor eyesight, so he's fixed it so that when I get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom (poof!) the light goes on when I pee, and then (poof!) the light goes off when I'm done."

"Wow," commented Dr. Smith, "that's incredible!"

A little later in the day Dr. Smith called George's wife.
"Thelma," he said, "George is just fine.
Physically he's great. But I had to call because I'm in awe of his relationship with God.
Is it true that he gets up during the night and (poof!) the light goes on in the
bathroom, and then (poof!) the light goes off?"

Thelma exclaimed, "That old fool! He's peeing in the refrigerator again!"

[longhorn]

My dead net cost for 100 Zetia is $237.31. Cost on November 15, 2005 was $224.94-you were getting a bargain (11/16/05 was last price increase).

[longhorn]

BCB-Dead net on Elidel is about $55; if the industry is following SOP, that means it cost approximately 55 cents to produce. Have you seen the new FDA mandated "black box" warning on Elidel? (Obviously, the 55 cents doesn't include the previously mentioned R&D costs, or the marketing.)

[Scrounger]

Longhorn, if I remember correctly, you are a pharmacist, is that correct? So the prices you are quoting are wholesale, not that words like 'wholesale', 'retail', etc. really have much meaning left these days. I know dealers don't buy guns at 'wholesale', they pay 'wholesale' minus 10% or maybe 15% from their sources, and sometimes they pay 'distributor' price because the distributor is buying at 'jobber' price. Crazy world. Not much integrity left in business. Not accusing you, you're at nearly the bottom of the chain. You pay what you have to to get the stuff you mark up a little and sell to your customers. I for one would be happier if they took words like "retail; and "wholesale" out of the language, they no longer have real meaning.

[longhorn]

You're right-"wholesale" means very little. In fact, "wholesale" on the Zetia #100 is $300.00! Of course, to get our discounts, we have to pay in 14 days; insurance companies usually drag us about 6 weeks.

[longhorn]

I missed part of Scrounger's comment-no, the prices I quoted are _really_ what we pay, not some fictional "cost." A big chain with centralized purchasing (CVS, Walgreen's, etc.) probably pays a little less-no idea how much less-too depressing to comtemplate!

[Scrounger]

Wasn't criticizing you at all, Longhorn. Your association with us marks you as an honest man. A little story about merchandizing: I always buy my ground beef at Albertsons because it tastes better and is cheaper than the stuff from WalMart or Smith's. It is usually $2.29, sometimes $1.99 or even $1.69. Last week they advertised it, "on sale" for $2.49. That "sale price" was the highest price I have ever paid there. To me that is dishonest. But I will continue to trade there because they carry many items I like that the other markets don't carry and their prices are OK, it's just that kind of corporate deceit that bugs me.