I took a close look at my Medicare Monthly Prescription Drug Summary and noticed that I had two identical prescriptions for antibiotics called in to two different pharmacies two weeks apart in February. Each prescription was for a week’s supply (22 capsules) of a tier 2 antibiotic, called in by the same provider. These were the charges that I paid out of pocket: Publix: $37.46, Walgreens: $16.20.
Whew! One considerably more than double the other?! I called the insurance company to make sure I wasn’t missing anything, and it was explained to me that because I am still in the process of meeting my deductible, the cost was determined not by them but rather by the individual pharmacies.
I spoke to the pharmacy manager at Publix, who explained that she does not determine prices, that when they fill a prescription, their computerized system determines the charge. She suggested that I contact the Publix regional pharmacy manager who, she said, could explain; I did call and leave a message for him but never received a callback. I will follow up....
I told this story to a knowledgeable friend who assured me that I should not necessarily consider Walgreens the “knight in shining armor” as far as prescription prices are concerned. Sure enough! I went there yesterday to fill two ongoing prescriptions (that is, 90-day supplies, refillable three times), both basic generic medications, and the total came to $62.34 ($40.72 + $21.62). This seemed awfully high to me, and for the first time I refused the meds and asked for the paper prescriptions back. No problem.
I then took them to Walmart (a store I generally will not shop in for various reasons—nothing to do with prices); the total cost of the two there was $42.81 ($24.00 + $18.81). Walgreens and Walmart were close to each other on one of them but—whew again!—very different on the other. I don’t have the time to go from pharmacy to pharmacy. If Costco were closer, I would go there; two things about Costco Pharmacy—and not everyone knows these—one does not have to be a Costco member to use their pharmacy, AND they have a mail order component which can be found at
Welcome to Costco Wholesale.
I share this long story for what it’s worth. . . .