"My
doctor gave me a new medicine for my stomach pain," a friend
answered when I expressed hope that she was feeling well. "It
works fine, but I can't take it."
"I'm sorry to hear that," I said. "Too many side effects?"
"No, the samples he gave me helped a lot. But when I took his prescription to the pharmacy, a month's supply was four hundred dollars. That's almost half my Social Security check! How am I going to pay my utility bills and buy my groceries? So I'll just keep on with the antacids."
"Did you tell your doctor you couldn't pay that kind of price?"
"I phoned him, and he said he had no idea it was that high."
"Did you ask him about any of the over-the-counter medicines? Some of them are about one-tenth that price, or less."
"No, I didn't know anything about that. He had his nurse make me an appointment for two weeks from now for follow-up. But I never had the prescription filled when I found out the cost."
If you think that's an isolated example, another patient had had at least six back surgeries over the years (laminectomy) and no surgeon would now touch his scarred back. His local doctor was trying to manage the pain with various pills and patches, some of which eased his steady pain, but not the "lightning spasms" that struck when he moved wrong. Additonally, over the years, he had developed unacceptable reactions to some of the medicines, and the doctor was trying a new one. His medical insurance refused to pay for it. The doctor's office clerk said she would try and straighten the matter out, and would call him back. She never did, nor even to let him know the problem. He finally called his pharmacist to see if he could afford to pay for it himself, and found to his horror that a month's supply was $525.00, half his entire monthy income. Presumably, the doctor's clerk could have found that out, but if she did, she never let him know.
"I'm sorry to hear that," I said. "Too many side effects?"
"No, the samples he gave me helped a lot. But when I took his prescription to the pharmacy, a month's supply was four hundred dollars. That's almost half my Social Security check! How am I going to pay my utility bills and buy my groceries? So I'll just keep on with the antacids."
"Did you tell your doctor you couldn't pay that kind of price?"
"I phoned him, and he said he had no idea it was that high."
"Did you ask him about any of the over-the-counter medicines? Some of them are about one-tenth that price, or less."
"No, I didn't know anything about that. He had his nurse make me an appointment for two weeks from now for follow-up. But I never had the prescription filled when I found out the cost."
If you think that's an isolated example, another patient had had at least six back surgeries over the years (laminectomy) and no surgeon would now touch his scarred back. His local doctor was trying to manage the pain with various pills and patches, some of which eased his steady pain, but not the "lightning spasms" that struck when he moved wrong. Additonally, over the years, he had developed unacceptable reactions to some of the medicines, and the doctor was trying a new one. His medical insurance refused to pay for it. The doctor's office clerk said she would try and straighten the matter out, and would call him back. She never did, nor even to let him know the problem. He finally called his pharmacist to see if he could afford to pay for it himself, and found to his horror that a month's supply was $525.00, half his entire monthy income. Presumably, the doctor's clerk could have found that out, but if she did, she never let him know.
These
illustrate a basic flaw in the American way of marketing medicines.
The manufacturers have well-paid "detail persons" who make
regular calls at each and every doctor's office to inform him/her
about their company's latest and most advanced product. They
sometimes used to appear around noon, with enough pizza for the whole
office staff. Friendly people, well trained and informed in their
field, they are a principle source of information for busy doctors
who don't spend as much time as they might with medical journals and
Internet search. The pharmaceutical rep has free samples to leave
with the doctor, along with note pads or pens bearing the product's
name.
Sometimes they really do have valuable updates for the doctor, but they rarely mention the price of their product, or that the older remedies still work as well as they always did. And the doctor will try the samples on his patients because (a) he doesn't want them to buy a whole month's supply of any medicine unless he knows it works for them, and/or (b) he may want to help a patient he knows is having difficulty affording care.
Sometimes they really do have valuable updates for the doctor, but they rarely mention the price of their product, or that the older remedies still work as well as they always did. And the doctor will try the samples on his patients because (a) he doesn't want them to buy a whole month's supply of any medicine unless he knows it works for them, and/or (b) he may want to help a patient he knows is having difficulty affording care.
Most
doctors don't keep up with the present-day price of what they
prescribe. But they could. Every doctor gets an annual free update of
Physician's Desk Reference listing all prescription medicines with
their uses, side effects, and precautions (about 4,000+ pages—old
copies make good doorstops), and a supplement with all the
non-prescription medicines is available as well. Plus an annual
update of Redbook (not the women's fashions one, but current drug
retail prices) with the option of subscribing to monthly updates.
So - here's what a patient can do. Don't be afraid to ask what a new prescription will cost, and if necessary, ask if there is a less expensive generic that will be adequate. Sometimes there will be, sometimes not.
And Doctors, here's what you can do. Be aware that the latest drug is pushed by the drug rep because that's what he/she is hired to do. It's good to keep that product in mind, but ask yourself, "Is this what this patient sitting here in front of me really needs, or will an older, less expensive drug be effective?" And stay away from reps who want to buy you meals or pay for a vacation trip. Your patients have to pay for that in the cost of their medicine.
And all you readers in the general public, pressure your reps in Congress to reasonably regulate the charges for medicines. Why should a drug that has been on the market eleven years now cost fifteen dollars per pill when the company was raking in high profits at the original price of ten dollars per pill? Why should an injection aimed at mass use be selling for thirty-five dollars, when it originally wholesaled forty years ago at one dollar? Or why should a drug, manufactured in USA, sell for less in Canada or Europe than it does here where it was made?
So - here's what a patient can do. Don't be afraid to ask what a new prescription will cost, and if necessary, ask if there is a less expensive generic that will be adequate. Sometimes there will be, sometimes not.
And Doctors, here's what you can do. Be aware that the latest drug is pushed by the drug rep because that's what he/she is hired to do. It's good to keep that product in mind, but ask yourself, "Is this what this patient sitting here in front of me really needs, or will an older, less expensive drug be effective?" And stay away from reps who want to buy you meals or pay for a vacation trip. Your patients have to pay for that in the cost of their medicine.
And all you readers in the general public, pressure your reps in Congress to reasonably regulate the charges for medicines. Why should a drug that has been on the market eleven years now cost fifteen dollars per pill when the company was raking in high profits at the original price of ten dollars per pill? Why should an injection aimed at mass use be selling for thirty-five dollars, when it originally wholesaled forty years ago at one dollar? Or why should a drug, manufactured in USA, sell for less in Canada or Europe than it does here where it was made?
Even
in a free market economy, the customer should get as much
consideration as the company's stock holders get.
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