What's your take on the WalMart prescriptions

Bird · Sep 23, 2006

Thanks, Mike & Todd. I just got through reading about it on their website.

texbaylea · Sep 23, 2006

If and when the Wal-mart plan comes to Texas it won't help us. I understand that if you have insurance they will charge that co-pay. My plan charges me $10 for a 90 day supply by mail and I can go to a local pharmacy for short term prescriptions. That co-pay is usually $5.00 sometimes as low as $3.00.

Still, it will help millions of people if it is continued and spread to all states.

Vernon

Bird · Sep 23, 2006

Yep, Vernon, we're in a similar situation now, except that my wife's co-pay is a lot higher than yours, and it depends on whether the medicine is a "Tier 1, 2, or 3" as to just how high it is when we get 90 day supplies via mail. The few prescriptions we've gotten at a local pharmacy usually cost $5.

And I'm one of those who is subsidizing others with my insurance premiums.

I had two little prescriptions for about a week last year and none this year, but I'm paying $125 a month for prescription drug coverage.

I guess my wife's prescriptions make up for it.

jinman · Sep 23, 2006

Bird said:
And I'm one of those who is subsidizing others with my insurance premiums. I had two little prescriptions for about a week last year and none this year, but I'm paying $125 a month for prescription drug coverage.

I guess my wife's prescriptions make up for it.

I felt like I was in a situation of subsidizing others with my health insurance payments in addition to military tricare. Then, I had my little heart attack and found out what a great benefit all that insurance is. I think I've paid less than $300 total for my hospital stay, surgery, helicopter, etc, etc. Now, when I go to Wal*Mart Pharmacy, they charge both my primary carrier and Tricare picks up the copay. $0 per prescription. I consider myself very lucky.

Bird · Sep 23, 2006

Yep, Jim, that possibility is exactly why I'm paying the big insurance premiums I'm paying. We never know when it might happen to us. In fact, my youngest brother, 6 years younger than I, is supposed to be released from the VA hospital today after an angiogram, installation of a stint, etc.

PineRidge · Sep 23, 2006

You guys don't really know just how good you got it. My wife and I pay monthly premiums of $1086. for health insurance.

Bird · Sep 23, 2006

PineRidge said:
You guys don't really know just how good you got it. My wife and I pay monthly premiums of $1086. for health insurance.

Mike, I guess it depends on what kind of coverage you have. What I said was $125 a month just for prescription coverage for myself. Actually we're paying $822 a month for health insurance on both of us and that's with me on Medicare (she's got a couple of years to go before she's old enough for Medicare). So her coverage is 80/20 after a thousand deductible. Of course premiums have been going up each year, so I guess the only good news is that my premiums will actually go down about $20 a month next year.

PineRidge · Sep 23, 2006

Healthcare has just climbed out of sight in the past decade.

slowrev · Sep 26, 2006

PineRidge said:
You guys don't really know just how good you got it. My wife and I pay monthly premiums of $1086. for health insurance.

Yeah I pay about $880 per month for my wife and myself. $500 annual deductable and copays on prescriptions that run up to $65.

I just read an article that health care is running over 2X inflation for the past year.

BB_TX · Sep 28, 2006

jinman said:
I felt like I was in a situation of subsidizing others with my health insurance payments in addition to military tricare. Then, I had my little heart attack and found out what a great benefit all that insurance is.

So true Jim. My older sister began having major health problems last year. She was a civil service retiree with lifetime Blue Cross/Blue Shield health insurance benefit + Medicare. With no other immediate family, I took over caring for her. She went into the hospital in December last year, several surgeries, two primary care hospitals, two acute care hospitals, nursing home, and passed away in May. Through it all, I handled her financial matters. The insurance and medicare paid virtually 100% of her care. I did not sit down and total it all, but monitoring the incoming statements, the total cost was approaching $1 million.