# Ten dollar subscription plan **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 14, 2003, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ten-dollar-subscription-plan/168727 "2003-04-14T20:41:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Cerowyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@Cerowyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerowyn)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2003, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ten-dollar-subscription-plan/168727/21 "2003-04-15T00:34:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Giraffe \* > \*\*Sure, Car & Driver won’t cure your pinkeye, but antibiotics won’t tell you about the hot 2004 Jetta, so I think it comes out even in the end. \*\* Well, _Car & Driver_ won’t tell you about it either, unless the damn thing actually **arrives**. I can’t tell you how many years I subscribed to that rag, and I don’t think I ever went an entire year without missing a couple of issues. And they did nothing about it, I tell you! Damn their eyes! Anyway, yet another entertaining yarn from **Scylla**. All is right with the world. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2003, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ten-dollar-subscription-plan/168727/22 "2003-04-15T11:15:42Z")
I think I saw this in a Gilbert & Sullivan once. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2003, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ten-dollar-subscription-plan/168727/23 "2003-04-15T12:55:08Z")
I know the ‘subscription’ thing got the attention of this old circulation guy. And am I the only one hearing ‘Randall’ from _Clerks_ as the voice of the pharmacist here? I can’t be the only one. On no, not **me**. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2003, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ten-dollar-subscription-plan/168727/24 "2003-04-15T13:02:35Z")
**mhendo** , of course they work just as well. _They’re the exact same thing._ Same amount of the same active ingredient, administered the same way, at the same time intervals. That Lilly and Glaxxo-Wellcome have ever been able to convince anyone otherwise is the _real_ scam. ---
**Author:** ![Fin\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@Fin\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fin_man)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2003, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ten-dollar-subscription-plan/168727/25 "2003-04-15T13:21:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Fugazi \* > \*\*The more I hear about other people’s plans, the more I like mine. A few weeks back, I picked up a perscription for my wife for migraine headaches. It was 9 pills and cost $119@!!! I was shocked. Thank goodness I only had to pay $5. > > I think it’s time for you to find your plan and read the fine print. \*\* I feel for you **Scylla** and loved your OP. Things never are what we are lead to believe. [slight hijack] As for costs, I use Blue Crap/Blue Shit. We have to pay 25%, they pay 75%. Well, when Fin\_woman was pregnant and had hyperemesis gravidarum (fancy words for massive vomiting during pregnancy), she was on Zofran (a anti-nausea drug created originally for chemotherapy side effects) cost us about $200.00 (no, not the pre-insurance price but our 25% co-pay). Well worth it since Fin\_woman was able to stop puking. [/slight hijack] ---
**Author:** ![RussellM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed8c4c/32.png) [@RussellM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RussellM)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2003, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ten-dollar-subscription-plan/168727/26 "2003-04-15T13:58:09Z")
Lets hear it for the National Health Service ! If you pay for prescriptions the charge is [£6.30 per item](http://www.doh.gov.uk/nhscharges/hc12.htm) and many people [don’t have to pay](http://www.doh.gov.uk/nhscharges/hc11.htm) Granted, there are generally huge waiting lists for anything serious - but it does kind of work Russell ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2003, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ten-dollar-subscription-plan/168727/27 "2003-04-15T14:09:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Fugazi \* > \*\*A few weeks back, I picked up a perscription for my wife for migraine headaches. It was 9 pills and cost $119@!!! I was shocked. Thank goodness I only had to pay $5. \*\* Ah, she’s taking Imitrex, isn’t she? I take it too, but I throw up when I have migraines, so I have to use the injectible form of Imitrex. Want to know how much **that** costs? It’s slightly more than the pills. It’s $140. For **two** doses. Yes, 2 doses. **$140** for TWO freaking doses. My $15 “subscription” plan graciously allows me to have two migraines per month. How nice of them. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2003, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ten-dollar-subscription-plan/168727/28 "2003-04-15T14:16:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Derleth \* > **mhendo** , of course they work just as well. _They’re the exact same thing._ Same amount of the same active ingredient, administered the same way, at the same time intervals. > > That Lilly and Glaxxo-Wellcome have ever been able to convince anyone otherwise is the _real_ scam. According to one of the doctors I work for, it is a rare occasion when the “brand name” actually does work better than the generic. I did hear him point it out for one prescription, though, so it can happen. When getting a prescription filled, usually the form will have something like “generic equivalent acceptable” as an option - ask your physician if it’s OK to get a generic version. There may not be one available, or there might be an actual medical reason to not go with the generic. (Generics might, for instance, have different buffering agents, different time-release, etc.) ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2003, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ten-dollar-subscription-plan/168727/29 "2003-04-15T14:28:18Z")
Geez, now I feel better about my three migraine pills costing $35. Uh-oh…\…that’s $115 for nine. Not much better than **Fugazi** ’s case. And I only feel a little better than **BiblioCat** , as I’m allowed _three_ migraines a month. Apparently, nobody at an HMO has ever had a migraine. ---
**Author:** ![Skerri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@Skerri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skerri)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2003, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ten-dollar-subscription-plan/168727/30 "2003-04-15T15:14:30Z")
I’m glad to see that people realize the problem is with the insurance. I worked in retail pharmacy for almost 9 years, and you wouldn’t believe how many people thought I was shafting them by charging the correct co-pay. If you get a good, friendly pharmacist who isn’t busy tearing their hair out, they can call and see what your plan covers. (At least that’s what we used to do, before we got stuck filling one prescription per minute.) I’m not saying “shaft the insurance company!”, but the pharmacist can call your doctor and tell them to write the prescription accordingly so you get the best benefit. (Like if your insurance offers a discount on a 90 day supply of maintenance medications, they can usually get your doctor to write it that way.) My only advice is this: make friends with your pharmacist, if it’s possible. If they recognize you as the one person who comes in and you’re always nice, they will go the extra mile for you when they can. I won’t lie; there were several customers that I spent hours on the phone with insurance companies for, because they were the only customers throughout the day that didn’t act like complete jackasses when something was different. People who came up and threw their prescriptions at me, huffed and puffed when I told them it was going to be 10 minutes, or better yet, started right off the bat screaming at me about something? Ooh, looky here, a rejection from your insurance company. Guess you’ll have to pay full price, or call them yourself. I’m so glad I’m out of retail pharmacy. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Fin\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@Fin\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fin_man)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2003, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ten-dollar-subscription-plan/168727/31 "2003-04-15T15:38:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Skerri \* > \*\*My only advice is this: make friends with your pharmacist, if it’s possible. If they recognize you as the one person who comes in and you’re always nice, they will go the extra mile for you when they can. I won’t lie; there were several customers that I spent hours on the phone with insurance companies for, because they were the only customers throughout the day that didn’t act like complete jackasses when something was different. > > People who came up and threw their prescriptions\*\* [hijack] **Skerri**. two funny pharmacist stories: 1. I was getting a prescription for Allegra filled and insurance said I would have to pay it all. I asked the pharmacist why it was so. He said the insurance company rejected due to too many fills. I was surprised so he called the company. All I could hear was his side of the conversation (which was something like…) “I don’t know. I’ll check” to me - “Is it for you?” “No, it is for him.” “No, I don’t know what year he was born but he is **not** 80 years old.” “No problem, I’ll take care of it.” Seems another pharmacist used the profile of somebody with the same name - different state - way different age. 2. When my wife got the $200+ Zofran, the pharmacist took her aside and asked if she ever had gotten this prescription before. It was the first time and the pharmacist apologized up and down about the cost and that she even triple-checked with the insurance company. From then on, 30+ day supply via mail order for $35. 🙂 [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2003, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ten-dollar-subscription-plan/168727/32 "2003-04-15T15:52:41Z")
If you don’t want to bother the pharmacist, you can also ask your insurance co. for a copy of their “formulary” which is a listing of all the drugs they will pay for, as well as any restrictions. This information may well be online - I was browsing mine a while back and found odd little nuggets like they’ll only allow 10 tablets of Cipro (an antibiotic) twice every six months. (Aha! So this is why the pharmacy wanted to charge me $192 for a 14-pill Rx!) In this day of mis-managed health care, it’s up to the consumer to keep track of how their insurance works and exactly what it will cover. When you’re sick, it is a major bummer to have to be micro-managing your doctor and pharmacist, but it’s the only way to keep a lid on costs. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2003, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ten-dollar-subscription-plan/168727/33 "2003-04-15T15:54:48Z")
Checking in from the third leg of the triangle, I used to work call center for two different insurance companies and I’m sorry but I have little sympathy for people who don’t understand their basic insurance benefits and then _get snippy about it_ (I mean of course mean-snippy, not Scylla-snippy). Insurance is one of the more heavily regulated industries and insurance companies are required to disclose deductibles, copays, limitations, exclusions, etc. It’s all in your policy and, if you don’t want to read through the entire policy, check the schedule of benefits. ---
**Author:** ![CRorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CRorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CRorex)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2003, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ten-dollar-subscription-plan/168727/34 "2003-04-15T16:20:24Z")
I work with HIV… My insurance doesn’t cover most of the anti-hiv drugs. I hate my job. ---
**Author:** ![Skerri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@Skerri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skerri)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2003, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ten-dollar-subscription-plan/168727/35 "2003-04-15T17:11:55Z")
**CRorex** , I know exactly what you mean. One of our pharmacy techs at Wal-Mart also worked part-time in the NICU with the HIV babies. She unfortunately had a needle-stick, so she came and got her meds on workman’s comp at our pharmacy. The bills for the hospital were OUTRAGEOUS. I spent hours fighting with Medicaid to get people’s prescriptions filled for HIV meds. It’s just totally amazing to me how 3 months worth of one prescription medication can cost upwards of $10,000. Yes, people should know their policies, but that would only happen in a perfect world. The only reason I mentioned talking to your pharmacy staff is because we have to deal with this mess on a daily basis. Hell, when I worked at Wal-Mart, I knew most of the insurance company policies regarding prescriptions by heart. Yeah, some days it’s difficult to get to talk to a pharmacist, but they usually have a general idea of what’s going on with insurance companies. ---
**Author:** ![DadWagonDriver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/edb3f5/32.png) [@DadWagonDriver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DadWagonDriver)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2003, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ten-dollar-subscription-plan/168727/36 "2003-04-15T19:34:09Z")
You’re all scaring me. Right now I enjoy my life as the university-enrolled, 21-year-old son of an auto worker in the US. In 18 months I’ll be out of undergrad school, hopefully teaching somewhere or in law school. In the case of the latter, no worries, Dad has me covered until I’m 25. In the case of the former, yikes, I better develop an even stronger immune system and avoid injuring my knees seriously. I don’t want to deal with this crap. ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2003, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ten-dollar-subscription-plan/168727/37 "2003-04-15T19:45:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by wmulax93 \* > \*\*You’re all scaring me. Right now I enjoy my life as the university-enrolled, 21-year-old son of an auto worker in the US. In 18 months I’ll be out of undergrad school, hopefully teaching somewhere or in law school. In the case of the latter, no worries, Dad has me covered until I’m 25. \*\* Not to scare you any further, but you better double check that. If you’re over 21 and _not_ a full-time student, Dad may not be able to cover you on his policy. You might get a 3-month grace period after you graduate, but once you’re no longer in school full-time, you’re on your on for insurance. Better stock up on the Flintstone Chewables and Snoopy Band-Aids. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![SisterCoyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@SisterCoyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SisterCoyote)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2003, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ten-dollar-subscription-plan/168727/38 "2003-04-15T19:55:44Z")
If he’s in law school he’ll be covered by 90% of the HMOs/PPOs out there, **BiblioCat**. There are a couple of hard cases. I have no insurance. The irony is, I’ve twice worked for insurance companies (once directly BC/BS and once indirectly where I was part of the HMO doctor’s group’s office company for a temp agency). Neither time did I have insurance. Scylla, you must be on an HMO through your work. The _lowest_ BC/BS deductable for prescription drugs (non-generic) on a private plan is $250. Per person (up to 2 people). That’s right. Get a prescription filled for Mrs. Scylla and you’ll be paying until you’ve met that $250. Need a prescription yourself? Another $250 before bennies kick in. Health care in this country sucks. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ten-dollar-subscription-plan/168727.md?page=1)