S.C.A.M.
There’s a good chance that they were not actually eligible for that discount card. I recall using one once while I didn’t have insurance and I believe they were specifically for people who had no insurance. But you know… The pharmacist probably doesn’t care.
https://pluralistic.net/2024/06/13/a-punch-in-the-guts/
TLDR deregulating medicine has been a disaster. Monopolistic hospitals, ridiculous drug IP laws, and medical price middlemen with bad incentives make the US medical system the most expensive in the imperial core countries with the worst outcomes.
My insurer bought my pharmacy, and my FSA provider bought my clinic. My wife’s wellbeing is one acquisition or merger away from being fully at the whim of a single corporation in which every single component continues to fail to talk to another, and is fully disincentivized to do so.
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I’m sorry, maybe I can’t follow as a European, but what do you reference?
I think they’re just demonstrating the Greater Internet Fuckwad Theory.
GoodRx or something like it was used. Welcome to the man in the middle scam that makes people think they’re getting a good deal when in reality, they pay for insurance but insurance makes it so costly to use their insurance that people have to pay for it out of pocket or with an HSA but can’t apply the cost to their annual deductible. This is a win win for insurance companies and patients get screwed. I hate the US healthcare system so much from spending time interacting with it from the perspective of work and personally.
Do those of you in the US understand that this is literally only a thing in the US?
Yes. But it’s a little difficult to get healthcare from a different country.
Well, maybe Baltic states. Not sure.
Most of us do but unfortunately only about half of us are under the impression that other systems are better and more sustainable. Entrenched financial interests run our government and a large portion of those entrenched interests made their fortunes from this medical system
Those who don’t mostly seem to assume that every other country is still doing bloodletting and that America is the only place with MRI machines. Those that understand that’s not the case will probably say something about wait times.
Two-thirds but one third has oversized voting power.
Yes. Unfortunately, we’re stuck with it. No voting people in or out of the system have changed it. No, we’re not content with it, and we’re envious that other places don’t have to deal with this. This isn’t an endorsement of voter apathy, it’s just that any politician using big pharma reform as a part of their campaign are lying or unsuccessful in their efforts.
I definitely share your frustration… That said, there is some progress - see e.g. The price caps on insulin put in place this year, or the ACA reaching a bit further back – and I think it’s worth recognizing (and recognizing how we got it). Still a very long way to go and it’s an uphill battle unfortunately.
True. Thank you for that.
I have a medicine that is $1650 with insurance, copay is $60. Or, rung without insurance and the discount card, it’s $0.
Medicine pricing is utterly a scam.
American health insurance is gambling
The involvement of actuaries is a dead giveaway.
All insurance is. So are warranties.
:::The house always wins.:::
Exactly this. The only annoying part is that it then doesn’t count toward your deductable and out of pocket maximum. It’s crazy how nominally $1k+ medicines become like $30 when you pay without insurance.
Yeah dude I have dry eyes. A 3-month supply of my eye drops is $2700 out of pocket, but there’s this magical card that makes it zero. WTF.
It’s actually a pretty clever scheme by drug companies to foist the cost of medicine development AND supplying uninsured people onto insurance companies (and from there, the cost is passed on to people with insurance). I just don’t understand how it’s legal, or why the insurance companies - who are supposed to have such great collective bargaining power - accept this status quo.
I have noticed that it only seems to happen with very expensive, very recently developed drugs which are not yet part of the insurance companies recommended therapies, and they typically require a prior authorization (special approval based on the doctor stating there is a medical necessity for this, and only this, drug).
It’s actually a pretty clever scheme by drug companies to foist the cost of medicine development AND supplying uninsured people onto insurance companies (and from there, the cost is passed on to people with insurance).
Hey now. You forgot that research for 99% of novel drugs discovered this century was funded in at least equal portions by public grants (paid for via taxes). So, the drug companies are really triple-dipping there.
If you just need to hydrate your eyes, chances are your drops are just salted water
They’re repurposed Borg nanobots in saline solution.
TBH that would absolutely be worth $2700 to me.
My infusions are 10k. It gets cut by half for insurance. The drug company has like 20k in credits set aside per patient. They pay $10 of my $15 copay with that.
It’s ridiculous.
US healthcare is extortion.
I live in Australia and suffered an A.V. malformation in my brain and almost died. I was flown to a major hospital in the city for emergency brain surgery and spent 3 months in recovery. The whole thing cost me exactly $0.
America really screwed over it’s own people, huh?
This country is a business.
This is the answer to (almost) every single problem in America
I’m in America but get socialized health care as a veteran (although they’re desperately trying to kill it off.)
I have a full hospital facility in my city - so I can see my doctor, then go get xrays and blood work, then pick up my meds in one trip under one roof. Just always makes me wish it could be that simple for everyone.
Can’t.
I’ve had literally insane run-ins with the US healthcare system, and have a bad enough health issue that I’ve been absolutely ruined by it: physically, mentally, financially, and socially. I do mean utterly – that was not hyperbole.
I have nothing else to add right now, because I have medically-induced PTSD and can’t even think about anything medical without having a panic attack now.
Just wanted to chime in with how bad it can get, and I know my situation isn’t as bad as it can be. It ruined everything for me and destroyed my family, but I never had to care for a dying child. There are no forbidden depths.
Because half the country votes for a party that explicitly says this is a good way to run things, and the other half votes for a party that says it isn’t great, but we shouldn’t really do anything meaningful about it.
Until there is mass “you are all assholes and we demand a more representative electoral system” demonstrations, nothing will change.
Readers may note that this applies to basically every problem in the US right now
This is a bipartisan issue, thanks to corporations.
Neither party wants to fix it. Corporations be damned.
Maybe!
Corruption. The word you’re looking for is corruption.
Exactly correct!
with great freedom, comes a great medical bill :P
With great freedom to die in ditch, comes a great medical bill
The fact that the US is the only major industrialized nation without some from of a universal healthcare system is supremely fucked up…
I legit think it’s way too late to implement universal healthcare because the entire food industry would have to change also.
Interesting take. I’ve never heard anyone connect the two. How do you mean?
A lot of the food in the US has chemicals that are banned in other countries that have universal healthcare. The food companies spend millions on research and development to make the food literally addicting. Also our portion sizes are insanely huge. When the other countries have to pay for the healthcare of their citizens, they’re going to make damn sure the food is healthier.
I once heard a european say we eat like we have free healthcare. No we don’t. We eat like we have a government with more accountability to monied interests than to our health, a food industry that profits from us being compelled to overeat cheaply produced foods, and a healthcare system that profits from chronic illness and sudden misfortune. Oh yeah, this onion’s got layers, and it’s rotting from the inside-out.
In fact, I think a genuine effort behind universal healthcare would involve the government suddenly caring a lot more about industry in general growing profits by running things as cheap and dirty as they have been and, in a way, passing their costs onto the general population.
Excellent point. I like it.
And hate it because it’s true. Bastards.Honestly, everyone always pretends like America is the best, but were so painfully behind with so many things…
Who pretends america is the best? It leads in some metrics. Other countries lead on others. Quality of life is high for most but not all, comparitavely. However, there is more inequality and poorer healthcare. Even healthcare for the wealthy is expensive for little benefit compared to poorer countries.
It leads in some metrics.
Oh, the irony.
I really don’t feel like the quality of life is high in the US. How is that measured? Affordable healthcare? Well paid jobs? Affordable healthy produce? Access to public transport? Good infrastructure? Little wealth disparity? Access to education? Can someone tell me which of these the US leads in?
Other Americans mainly…
Who does, Hollywood movies? Life isn’t a movie.
The Republicans exist y’know…
She probably used GoodRx, which has been known to sell patient data.
I’m not going to argue in favor of them selling user data, but if the savings are that high I think it’s a decent tradeoff as a consumer.
I use it. I did not know thank you.
If they got that big of a discount, it may have been a manufacturer’s savings card.
Wait until you see how much the monthly cost is for a family these days if you’re going through the exchange.
The other fun game is tech doesn’t offer it anymore. I’m in the job hunt and 7 of 10 jobs make you go out of pocket, the next two give you and obscene monthly responsibility so they can say they offer it, and the 10th job has 5000 applicants.
It’s not sustainable.
It’s called “extortion.”
