I have a new health insurance plan for 2018. It turned out my new plan does not cover a prescription drug that I use, and was looking to refill.
Now I know why prescription drug prices, is a top health care issue in the United States. Insurers and pharmacies can basically charge any price they want for prescription drugs. The drug I was looking to refill today, has been around a long, long time (more than 10 years). Its manufacturer sells billions of dollars of it every year. A generic version came out in 2016.
To illustrate:
Walgreens 90 day out-of-pocket, no insurance: $575. What?!
Walgreens w. GoodRx coupon 90 days, out-of-pocket $168. Better.
Costco w. GoodRx coupon 90 days, out-of-pocket $26. <Yes! I pick this one.
What is going on here? The vaunted free market at work? I say it is capitalism and healthcare-for-profit, both gone haywire. Bernie Sanders for President!
