LurcherLu

Next year I may have the opportunity to move to Houston. Having read interesting posts on where to live and cost of living etc, I wondered if anyone had any experience of buying medication. I currently take meds for an under active thyroid, I also take a statin. My company medical insurance I doubt would cover me for things like that although I haven't checked yet.
Can anyone advise what the cost of such things are in Houston? In Scotland I don't have to pay for this but I expect Houston is different.

Any feedback would be welcome.

Regards,
LL.

Pulaski

Hi LurcherLu, welcome to BE.

Before we dig into the details of your question, and risk putting the cart before the horse, please can you fill us in a little on the nature of your "opportunity" (company transfer, fiancé(e) visa, degree exchange program, diplomatic posting, etc.) as without a viable way to a visa, everything else is moot.

Hotscot

Plus, yes, your potential company insurance would cover those items.
May be a minimal copay, a few dollars, although if you get them through Costco they could be free.

Mainly though wot Pulaski said...
Least of your potential concerns.

(Pulaski...'exchajge'...tut, tut...not like you at all.)

LurcherLu

I will be transferring through my company although it will most likely be a relocation as opposed to an expat deal. I am married my kids are at UNI in the UK so will not be with us.

Regards,

LL.

Hotscot

What's an 'expat deal'?
What industry? Just curious.
And what visa?

Pulaski

I am not sure why you would think that, as health insurance covers preexisting conditions -company-linked insurance always did, but the Affordable Care Act made it mandatory for all qualifing health insurance, including chronic conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes. Exclusions of coverage for drugs usually only applies in cases such as applications for which the drug is not approved, experimental treatments, or hyper-expensive cancer drugs.

So to your meds question, a lot of routine drugs are heavily subsidized through your medical insurance, so while the cost of healthcare in the US is considered to be expensive, many commonly prescribed drugs are incredibly cheap in the US, and as Hotscot said, pharmacies will more or less give them away. Certainly on the occasions I have been prescribed antibiotics, the cost is less than a UK prescription charge, usually around $5-$6, and on one occasion only about $3.

Take a look at Goodrx.com, and if you have a zip code it will show your the gross prices (before insurance) of the drugs you are taking, in that area.

Pulaski

​ Temporary, boat loads of cash, expense everything, rarely seen these days? ​​​​​​ I don't know what you're talking about.

scrubbedexpat099

Could be cheap

Could be unavailable, I assume they would have something else but maybe not the one you use now.

Could be expensive, how expensive to you depends on the plan you are covered under.

Something you would need to discuss with your to be Doctor and your Insurance Provider.

ddsrph

Synthyroid and most statins are available as generics and wouldn’t cost too much in any case. Like previously mentioned your insurance will cover with a very low if any copay.

Mr Weeze

TexanScot

Probably because the UK media is full of stories of people dying in the streets and being denied access to hospitals unless they flash their gold bars at the front desk...

strat

Houston here... well, Katy, just up the road. FWIW, trying statins myself and son is using thyroid medication. I'm sure it depends on precise details of your coverage but as said, these medicines appear to be relatively cheap, right now we pay $0 on my wife's coverage for both and I think the generic non covered price is in the tens at our local provider pharmacy.

LurcherLu

strat

community impact mag

Just happened to see this in todays local 'paper' . Absolutely no idea how you'd go about trying to make inroads into teaching here as wife of a visa holder, I leave that complicated issue to others more knowledgeable...

Hotscot

What visa?

https://www.teachercertificationdegr...ication/texas/