Recognizing what will become unpopular drug pricing, the coverage gap (‘donut hole’), and yet another mandated monthly bill, the Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plan as developed by the powers-that-were in 2003 that would go into effect in 2006, those powers passed laws making it illegal for seniors to purchase prescription drugs anywhere other than from the US insurance and pharmaceutical industries, who appeared then—and continue to appear now—to reflect the effectiveness of their respective lobbies.
In spite of the laws, entrepreneurs in Canada saw an opportunity to create mail order pharmacies. They investigated the laws and their viability of effectiveness and realized that such pharmacies could serve them as a livelihood and serve those in the US whose prescription prices are higher—often considerably higher—than those in Canada.
How is this possible? Though the Canadian federal government has nothing to do with administering health care, they do mandate that pharmaceutical companies must negotiate prices if their products are to be used anywhere in Canada. (A novel and supportive approach, eh?) That is, they are looking out for their residents. The US government effectively gave carte blanche to the pharmaceutical and insurance industries to charge whatever they want. (Remember the Epi-pen?)
A senior might choose a Plan because it covers specific meds; however, the insurance companies have the freedom to change anything they wish, including their formulary (the list of drugs they cover), anytime in the course of the year other than the amount of the monthly premium, whereas subscribers cannot make a change other than during the open enrollment period at the end of the year, to select a different Plan for the following year.
Some of our generic meds have co-pays of $0 to $2, at times a bit higher. When we are prescribed an exorbitantly priced generic drug under our Plan, now we know to follow this sequence: (1) find out what our out-of-pocket cost will be, (2) ask the local pharmacy’s cash price, (3) check with Costco Mail Order Pharmacy at
www.costco.com (among the lowest cash prices for some meds), and finally (4) go online to
Drug Price Comparisons, Online Pharmacy Safety and Coupon Savings | PharmacyChecker.com, enter the name of the drug, and click ‘Search.’ The result clearly gives the range of the per unit price of the drug at their member pharmacies. The range looks huge, considering it’s all the same med, but the lowest priced ones, even taking into account a $10 shipping charge by some pharmacies, is considerably lower than that in the US. Controlled substances may not be ordered from out of the US.
Here’s an example: On my other thread (see MEDICARE PART D PRESCRIP. DRUG PLAN USERS: YOUR INS. CO. IS PROFITING ON YOUR BACKS!!’) I described my shock at discovering—using one of my own meds as an example (Rosuvastatin)—that for a three-month supply my Medicare Part D Plan would charge me $141, while the cash price (no insurance) at the local pharmacy was little more than ONE-THIRD the Insurance price at $51. At the Canadian mail order pharmacy I used, the cost, including shipping, was $26, half of the local pharmacy’s cash price, and at the Canadian mail order pharmacy the cost being a lot less ($26 versus $141) than through my Part D Plan. Remember, these are identical meds....
Pharmacy Checker’s website contains info about the laws that had attempted to force Americans to pay often exorbitant prices particularly for generic drugs. I asked for clarification on several points and received the following from Lucia Mueller, Director of Communications, PharmacyChecker.com:
“It's not legal, under most circumstances, to order and import medicine from a pharmacy in another country, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
“
FDA personnel have continuously stated that no one is prosecuted for personal importation of medicine, but that doesn't mean it's expressly legal. The FDA has published their personal importation policy explaining that they may allow personal imports of drugs that the FDA has not approved under certain circumstances. [Emphasis in original.]
“However, millions of Americans order and import lower-cost medicines to fill prescriptions from pharmacies located in Canada and other countries because they are never prosecuted for doing so.
“Read more here:
https://www.pharmacychecker.com/askp...ntries/“Also, you should know that we are transparent in the fact that pharmacies we accredit are located across the globe, not just Canada. You can see dispensing pharmacy located here:
https://www.pharmacychecker.com/onli...cy-ratings/”