Interesting Pharmacy Medications - Comparison

[TWU informer]

I have just checked prices on two RX medications required for my wife.

I check my co-pay against full pay price at a Canadian Pharmacy on-line http://www.pharmacyescrow.com/

RX #1

According to sales slip Insurance paid $115.00
According to sales slip Patient Paid $90.00

Check full price NO Insuarnce at http://www.pharmacyescrow.com/

Full cost for same product and same Qty. from Phamarcy Escrow= $83.00

RX #2

According to sales slip Insurance paid $363.00
According to sales slip Patient paid $75.00

Checked full price No Insurance at http://www.pharmacyescrow.com/
Full cost for same product and same Qty. from Pharmacy Escrow = $68.00

Is there anyway to prove that the Insurance is actually paying anything? It appears to me that I could get these RX's cheaper than even my co-pay from Canada. There is some kind of scam going on here I don't like the way it all figues out in my pocket.

Is there ever a Union Audit of these claimed charges against reality?

 

[WorldTraveler]

It is pretty well known that US consumers subsidize the cost of medications in many countries because US insurance pays more than what nationalized healthcare pays in other countries. Pharmaceutical companies have no choice but to sell at the prices those countries allow or lose the business all together.

Be aware that there is a difference in medications from some countries vs. others, although I am not sure how true that is from Canada esp. if it is brand name medication. But there have been more than one incident of late that involved generic medicines that were manufactured under less than rigorous quality control standards.

As you probably know there are mixed results in efforts to open US borders to foreign medications. But even if you can't ship across national borders (and you generally can for many medicines), you have flight benefits that may make it worth your while to see a doctor in Canada to get whatever drugs you might need but which cannot be shipped across borders.

 

[TWU informer]

So let me get this straight.

The TWU demands that we subsidize jobs with massive concessions

The US Government demands that we subsidize free loaders with higher Taxes for Welfare, Foodstamps, Housing,ect.
Which is really also the Union again supporting Democrats.

The Pharmacy Company demands that we subsidize medications for other Countries.
Which is the really the Union again allowing removal of caps from medical coverage increase/decreases

Well screw that, Bob Owens might be right then, let's go socialism and to hell with this crap!
Or is it socialism that is causing it?

I know I can't afford to subsidize any more I am broke now.

Could be time to quit working and get on the Free Ride and let you all pay my way for a change.

 

[formeraa]

In addition, it is always a good idea to check prescription prices at Walmart and Costco (don't have to be a member to use the pharmacy). Just ask what the cash price is. Sometimes, I've found them more cheaply than my co-pay.

TWU, this is why we need TRUE healthcare reform. Unfortunately, big pharma has POWERFUL lobbists in Washington! They want their high profit margin.

 

[TWU informer]

In total I am now paying $325.00 per month NOT counting my payroll deduction for the so-called medical coverage.

Where is that $1500.00 out-of-pocket maximum when you need it?
Oh that's right that doesn't apply to most medical needs and RX Drugs.


Thanks TWU!!!!!

Be sure and show up to the AA Management Office Monday to lick some more boot while wearing your "Working Together" hat instead of your Represent the Member Hat.

 

[Bob Owens]

It is pretty well known that US consumers subsidize the cost of medications in many countries because US insurance pays more than what nationalized healthcare pays in other countries. Pharmaceutical companies have no choice but to sell at the prices those countries allow or lose the business all together.

Be aware that there is a difference in medications from some countries vs. others, although I am not sure how true that is from Canada esp. if it is brand name medication. But there have been more than one incident of late that involved generic medicines that were manufactured under less than rigorous quality control standards.

As you probably know there are mixed results in efforts to open US borders to foreign medications. But even if you can't ship across national borders (and you generally can for many medicines), you have flight benefits that may make it worth your while to see a doctor in Canada to get whatever drugs you might need but which cannot be shipped across borders.

We dont subsidize those countries like Canada or Europe, we subsidize the Drug Companies and insure their profits. You said it;"Pharmaceutical companies have no choice but to sell at the prices those countries allow or lose the business all together." If they were losing money they wouldnt bother. Here they can rape us so they do.

I thought Bush made it illegal for us to buy drugs in Canada?

And Yes we are being ripped off, by the whole system and AA which has become an insurance company unto themselves. If I dont make any claims for the year AA pockets around $3000 worth of my money since we pay AA for coverage and they just pay the Insurance company a fee to deny, er, handle, claims (or they use it to pay others claims, either way it helps their bottom line while reducing mine).


Medications and care for the seroiusly ill is one of the reasons why I favor Socialized medicine like they have in Canada, Ireland and most other highly developed countries. I personally have experienced both systems. All the horror stories that were dumped on us by the corporate media were either false or exaggerations from what I saw. My wife is an RN here and her sister-in-law is the same in Ireland, and she is amazed by the obvious profit driven abuses of our so called Health Care system. Huge salaries for top management, bonuses, kickbacks, fraud, contractual violations etc. In the meantime the patients are shortchanged as most of the facilities are understaffed, resticting their ability to give better care. While the Doctors and staff try to do their best the constant pressure to produce more revenue for the Hospital interferes with their ability to do what they wenbt into the profession for.
I experienced it when I had my first bout with Kidney Stones, it was nearly 8 hours before I recieved any care, whereas when I had my second bout in Ireland I was medicated and in a private room within 10 minutes. After my first bout I was recieving bills from all over the place for months, in Ireland I simply walked out the door and they said "Enjoy the rest of your Holidays!". From my US visit to the Hospital, after dozens of phone calls and hours on the phone I just kept sending the bills to the insurance company until either they were paid or written off, in this country the insurance companies take advantage of those who are, or are caring for, the seriously ill, they reject claims with a myriad of excuses, knowing full well that the sick or their caregiver will usually give up argueing and just pay, even if it means they put themselves way into debt and end up going bankrupt as a result. I forget the number but I recall that a large number of the personal Bankrupcties the past few years were from people who had insurance and got ill.

 

[TWU informer]

Is this true or false?

Currently the United States leads the world in treating breast cancer. Women with breast cancer have a 14 percent higher survival rate in the United States than in Europe. Breast cancer mortality is 52 percent higher in Germany than in the United States, and 88 percent higher in the United Kingdom. Breast cancer mortality is also 9 percent higher in Canada than in the US. Less than 25 percent of U.S. women die from breast cancer. In Britain, it's 46 percent; France, 35 percent; Germany, 31 percent; Canada, 28 percent; Australia, 28 percent, and New Zealand, 46 percent. The European Network of Cancer Registries reported:


“Breast cancer is also the most common cancer in females in Europe. It is estimated that in the year 2000 there were 350,000 new breast cancer cases in Europe, while the number of deaths from breast cancer was estimated at 130,000. Breast cancer is responsible for 26.5 percent of all new cancer cases among women in Europe, and 17.5 percent of cancer deaths.”

 

[TWU informer]

Back to the topic.

Do any of the Three Uniions on AA Property have the ability to audit Insurance Cost/Coverage or are we all at their mercy for hoensty?

 

[Bob Owens]

Is this true or false?

Dont know, but my guess is the rates are lower in Asia and Latin America, since statistacally Negro and Caucasion women get it more often than Asian or Hispanic women, at least here in the US.

As far as the auditing, I think we are at their mercy. I know they have annual benifits meeetings where they present their numbers but I do not know of any auditing of the source of that info.

The issue as far as us subsidizing the company for the Pilot and FA caps came up because the numbers didnt justify the increase.

 

[Mr Red]

Did u forget who runs our country !!! (Corporations with biggest wallet)

 

[Frank Szabo]

Did u forget who runs our country !!! (Corporations with biggest wallet)

The correct word for the corporate control of government is Fascism.

 

[eolesen]

When you're comparing the cost of drugs across country borders, perhaps you need to also consider the legal systems involved.

Did you ever stop to think how much of what we pay for drugs and healthcare is directly proportional to potential liability and the lack of tort reform?

If you want to fix healthcare, start capping liability for doctors and drug companies. Then you'll see prices drop to the levels of other countries. But the Democrats didn't want to address that, because they knew if tort reform were in place, there would be far less justification for the socialist public option...

 

[TWU informer]

When you're comparing the cost of drugs across country borders, perhaps you need to also consider the legal systems involved.

Did you ever stop to think how much of what we pay for drugs and healthcare is directly proportional to potential liability and the lack of tort reform?

If you want to fix healthcare, start capping liability for doctors and drug companies. Then you'll see prices drop to the levels of other countries. But the Democrats didn't want to address that, because they knew if tort reform were in place, there would be far less justification for the socialist public option...

I agree but our political system appears more broken than the healthcare system. I don't have much use for either party, and all they do is blame each other for inaction.

So I sit here relegated to complaining on a internet bulletin board. :blink:

 

[Frank Szabo]

When you're comparing the cost of drugs across country borders, perhaps you need to also consider the legal systems involved.

Did you ever stop to think how much of what we pay for drugs and healthcare is directly proportional to potential liability and the lack of tort reform?

If you want to fix healthcare, start capping liability for doctors and drug companies. Then you'll see prices drop to the levels of other countries. But the Democrats didn't want to address that, because they knew if tort reform were in place, there would be far less justification for the socialist public option...

Capping liability is no more than an excuse for anyone to do as they please with little fear of responsibility for their actions - exactly what the Republican thieves love to hear. This is not to say the D'rats had a better idea - quite the contrary.

Republican sorts worry primarily about FINANCIAL responsibility and profits, their one and only god to the exclusion of all else, the D'rats want to relieve people of all personal responsibility for their actions due to insignificant events of their lives.

True Conservatives believe people and corporations should be both financially and personally responsible for their actions if those actions harm others.

Conservatives DO NOT align themselves with either the Republican or D'RAT party.

Conservatives prefer common sense to the actions of the two main parties.

The Democrat and Republican parties serve no purpose now other than to give the electorate something to argue about while politicians pay homage to their real masters and do their will and other dirty work.

 

[Bob Owens]

When you're comparing the cost of drugs across country borders, perhaps you need to also consider the legal systems involved.

Did you ever stop to think how much of what we pay for drugs and healthcare is directly proportional to potential liability and the lack of tort reform?

If you want to fix healthcare, start capping liability for doctors and drug companies. Then you'll see prices drop to the levels of other countries. But the Democrats didn't want to address that, because they knew if tort reform were in place, there would be far less justification for the socialist public option...

Yea right, the reasons why the liabilities are so high is because the care to fix the screw ups costs so much. If a doctors or drug srews up a patient and due to the screw up its going to cost millions to care for that person why should there be a cap? Why should the victim be left with the bill? Sure you want to protect the Hospitals and drug companies profits and use "Supply side" theory that the savings would be passed on to the consumer but thats a lie, just like increased productivity and revenue would mean the companies would be willing to pay employees more. All the cap would do is make the Drug companies and Hospitals richer. Sure there are plenty of abuses but a cap isnt the answer since most of the abuses would be under what the caps would be or it would end class action suits and not allow victims to collectively get restitution.

You are claiming that we would have the benifits of socialized heathcare without having socialized healthcare if we simply limited the amount of liability for Drug Companies and doctors, you are dreaming. The reason why the liability is limited in a socialized system is that the system assumes the liability. If a patient is harmed the system absorbs the costs of caring for the patient, under your plan the patient would be left out to die because nobody would be there to absorb the cost of caring for the patient(victim).