cancer and critical care drug shortage

[kygorski]

25 bucks? got mine at walgreens, free

[RoadToad]

The vaccine for shingles, Zostavax, is expensive, $200 - $300 per dose, and insurance usually doesn't cover it. It was just introduced back in 2006. Once it goes generic the price will come down.

[GeoFisher]

I have thoughts about this both ways.......On one hand, I think market prices AND consumerism should drive the cost of a product........including DRUGS.....

On the other hand, when something is ALWAYS paid for by the gubment, and that drives the cost up, then maybe some cost controls are necessary. The funny thing though.......the very thing I DESPISE the the thing that causes the price to spiral out of control.

I really think that costs would be more realistic for most health care if there was not an assumption that every claim would be paid. While this may not be the case in the private sector insurance, most every medicare, medicaid, passport and government supported claim is paid......even those when someone gets services at an er versus a doc in a box.

I really wonder if market managed cost controls would work if folks were given a LIMIT for gubment health care......Example: you have X amount of coverage for preventative and maintenance type expenses........catastrophic is covered differently but if you choose to spend 800 bucks for a sniffle at the ER, and you BLOW all the money allocated due to foolishness, tough CRAP. Figure out how to pay for the next incident.

I don't know..........

Later,

Geo

[GeoFisher]

And if you don't think this crap doesn't happen with providers, I experienced it FIRST hand with my daughter and a campus ran medical center. For some reason they thought it was a good idea to run 1200 dollars in tests for something that she CLEARLY did not have and CLEARLY would have been identified other ways. I questioned the charges, and then met with them and told them to STUFF the claim. I'm on a HSA and they'd have to sue me for it.....

A few days later, I got a letter in the mail that they had made a mistake running such tests, and cut the cost to 250, which I still bitched about, but paid......

If you KNOW what you are paying for, I GUARANTEE you will question the costs.......

Later,

Geo

[GeoFisher]

And if you don't think this crap doesn't happen with providers, I experienced it FIRST hand with my daughter and a campus ran medical center. For some reason they thought it was a good idea to run 1200 dollars in tests for something that she CLEARLY did not have and CLEARLY would have been identified other ways. I questioned the charges, and then met with them and told them to STUFF the claim. I'm on a HSA and they'd have to sue me for it.....

A few days later, I got a letter in the mail that they had made a mistake running such tests, and cut the cost to 250, which I still bitched about, but paid......

If you KNOW what you are paying for, I GUARANTEE you will question the costs.......

Later,

Geo

And for the record........I HATE negotiated rates................HATE them with a passion.

A negotiated rate for X insurance or Y insurance or what I carry should be the SAME for EVERY insurance company. I got a bill for 900 bucks for something else and the negotiated rate was 125, which is what I paid......WTF.....if the cost is 125 or the doc can get away with 125, then THAT is the price.......not the BS inflated price of 900 bucks because some schmuck insurance company Z will arbitrarily pay the 900 bucks.......

BULL CRAP....

Later,

Geo

[psprowler]

A lot of times there are only a handful of manufacturers that make the generic drugs. If one of those manufacturers has to shut down production for whatever reason (raw material shortage, not complying with regulations regarding good manufacturing practices, recalls, etc.) then that puts a major dent in the supply. The other one or two manufacturers can't keep up, and then you get the shortages.

We deal with it every day. For the previously mentioned Compazine, there are only a handful of manufacturers right now. We had to buy mass quantities (for us) of multi-dose vials and do it that way because that is all we could get.

Fentanyl is the big one right now. A common narcotic used for pain and sedation, we can't get any right now, and we are about out. The drug has been around forever, but the only type available from the wholesaler is a huge multi-dose vial with enough in it to put down a herd of elephants. We might have to go to that big vial and waste which *****, but is better than having to reschedule colonoscopies and other procedures because we don't have the drug.

Valium is another difficult to get (at the moment).

It's a real pain in the rear.

Shingles vaccine - yeah you gotta play the game to get that one. The doctor's office will gladly inject you with it, but they don't get re-imbursed when they purchase the drug. That's why you have to pay 200 or 300 bucks out of pocket at the pharmacy and then take it back to the physician's office.