Prescription charges

Old Nov 28th 2012, 10:12 pm
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Question Prescription charges

Hi there,
We emigrated in October of this year. I brought 3 months of my meds with me but need more and have been unable to find any insurance company that will help because they are pre-existing conditions. Has anyone any advice?
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Old Nov 28th 2012, 10:31 pm
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Default Re: Prescription charges

No cover through yours or your partners work?
Have you tried all the usual suspects? Kaiser, Blue cross.
How did you move to US without figuring out that you'd need insurance?
If you are getting desperate, you could pay cash for a doctor visit and get your prescriptions (hopefully) then pay for them somewhere inexpensive like Target or Walmart or Costco.

Last edited by Mummy in the foothills; Nov 28th 2012 at 10:34 pm.
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Old Nov 28th 2012, 10:38 pm
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Default Re: Prescription charges

Originally Posted by auntieginzy
Hi there,
We emigrated in October of this year. I brought 3 months of my meds with me but need more and have been unable to find any insurance company that will help because they are pre-existing conditions. Has anyone any advice?
I thought you had that sorted? http://britishexpats.com/forum/showp...76&postcount=9

Oh well. I managed to get on a Kaiser Permanente HIPAA plan with pre-existing conditions so you might want to look into that. On the standard Kaiser application form there's a checkbox somewhere that asks if you want to apply for it if unsuccessful in a regular application - which I was. Then they sent another form with a bunch of questions which determined my eligibility for the HIPAA, which I was. A month later I was covered, albeit at a cost.

Failing that there are some discount prescription plans - the wife got one but it wasn't accepted at Kaiser, understandably.

Ask for generic meds, not branded.

You can see any doctor willing to see you, at cost of course, and they will write a prescription if you need one. But they might insist on a physical first (more $$$).
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Old Nov 28th 2012, 10:51 pm
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Default Re: Prescription charges

I do have insurance but we were unable to get any that included pre-existing conditions Both of us are retired so no workplace cover.
Will have a look at Kaiser permanente
Yes GeoffM, I thought my husband had it sorted but apparently he couldn't get insurance until we were over here.
I've got a doctor and he's given me a prescription but the insurance I have wont cover that. Just wondered if there was any other way round it?
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Old Nov 28th 2012, 10:56 pm
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Default Re: Prescription charges

Originally Posted by auntieginzy
I do have insurance but we were unable to get any that included pre-existing conditions Both of us are retired so no workplace cover.
Will have a look at Kaiser permanente
Yes GeoffM, I thought my husband had it sorted but apparently he couldn't get insurance until we were over here.
I've got a doctor and he's given me a prescription but the insurance I have wont cover that. Just wondered if there was any other way round it?
Costco/Target/Walmart etc may sell a generic brand...have you tried them?
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Old Nov 28th 2012, 10:58 pm
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Default Re: Prescription charges

You can call the different pharmacies and ask the price for any particular drug that you have a prescription for and then go get it from the cheapest place. We never had prescription cover for the longest time, we just paid cash for each medication as it was prescribed. But that was a long time ago when we were younger and much healthier I guess, as my prescription now costs nearly $200 a month.
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Old Nov 28th 2012, 11:02 pm
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Default Re: Prescription charges

Originally Posted by auntieginzy
I've got a doctor and he's given me a prescription but the insurance I have wont cover that. Just wondered if there was any other way round it?
Sorry I can't remember the name of the discount card but Google might help. It really pays to shop around with that prescription. When I had to buy eyedrops out of my own pocket the highest cost was $130 for a branded version and $79 for generic, reduced further with a free store loyalty card (CVS I think).
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Old Nov 28th 2012, 11:32 pm
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Default Re: Prescription charges

This is one from CVS and use you Extra bucks card to get money back over time. I love my red Extra bucks card
http://www.cvs.com/promo/promoLandin...lthsavingspass
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Old Nov 29th 2012, 12:15 am
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Default Re: Prescription charges

This is likely a minor part of the OP's issue.... what are they going to do if they need significant medical attention for these pre-existing conditions?? I just don't understand how you can move - especially in retirement - and not have this stuff squared away, unless they are going to qualify for Medicare some time soon I suppose.

Last edited by Giantaxe; Nov 29th 2012 at 12:18 am.
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Old Nov 29th 2012, 12:24 am
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Default Re: Prescription charges

Originally Posted by Giantaxe
This is likely a minor part of the OP's issue.... what are they going to do if they need significant medical attention for these pre-existing conditions??
Bit late now, no one mentioned being retired in the talks about moving here when the OP was asking about bringing many months of medications with her in the past, unless I missed that whole part.
If this had been brought up before the move I'm sure we could have all explained the folly of moving to the US after retirement without being independently wealthy. California isn't like some places that have the high risk pool. They won't get Medicare until being here for a few years and then at a high monthly cost along with buying gap insurance.
Neither of you wants to go back to work? It might be the only way.
Dh and I are moving back to UK after his life altering medical problems and we have the best kind of medical and prescription coverage. He cost the insurance company close to $40,000 last year and wasn't even hospitalized at all. It cost us $100
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Old Nov 29th 2012, 2:08 am
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Default Re: Prescription charges

Tell Walmart you are uninsured for those medications. They have a program to make some medications available at reduced cost for people who can't afford insurance.
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Old Nov 29th 2012, 2:31 am
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Default Re: Prescription charges

Some of the drug companies have programs to provide their drugs cheap/free. I don't know what the quailfications are. Check their websites.
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Old Nov 29th 2012, 3:08 am
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Default Re: Prescription charges

I twice specifically asked the OP what she and husband were doing about health insurance and she said "husband had it sorted" - no further details were given.

She did tell us that her children were sponsoring them, hence my questions because, as we all know, health insurance can be a nightmare, and she obviously had pre-conditions.

I wondered if this would issue would come back .............
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Old Nov 29th 2012, 3:10 am
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Default Re: Prescription charges

Originally Posted by auntieginzy
I do have insurance but we were unable to get any that included pre-existing conditions Both of us are retired so no workplace cover.
Will have a look at Kaiser permanente
Yes GeoffM, I thought my husband had it sorted but apparently he couldn't get insurance until we were over here.
I've got a doctor and he's given me a prescription but the insurance I have wont cover that. Just wondered if there was any other way round it?
You can only apply to as many companies as possible to see if anyone will take on your pre-conditions.

Which company are you currently with?
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Old Nov 29th 2012, 1:11 pm
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Default Re: Prescription charges

Find out if the pharmaceutical company that makes your prescriptions has a program that reduces the costs of the meds for those without health insurance.

Also, ask at specific pharmacies (i.e. CVS, Rite-Aid, Walgreens) about their program/club for those without insurance getting a price reduction. I know Walgreens has a program because I used it last year for a while when I didn't have insurance. It won't make every med affordable though. A tube of ointment for my psoriasis was $700 (to which I said no thank you).

Unfortunately, this is really your only solution to the problem, if you can't get prescription coverage for your pre-existing conditions. You have to pay out of pocket, and that's going to add up. To drive the point home, you need to work on getting your pre-existing condition(s) covered, because if you have to be treated/hospitalized for them, you could face very hefty bills...to the tune of tens/hundreds of thousands of dollars.
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