Drug Prices

This year our family is making changes.  After doing the math I switched us to a High Deductible Health  Plan and a Health Savings Account (HSA). Monitoring drug prices is an important part of my job.  Many of my patients pay cash for their medication.  Even if their insurance pays for part of the costs, more expensive medicines have a higher copay.  This year I’m watching even more carefully.

Medication costs can change rapidly.  When one medication changes to a generic brand the whole group of medications in that category can change price.  The cash prices in many small pharmacies can be much better than the big box pharmacies.  Cash is easier, less paperwork.  They pass the savings to their customers.

People are more likely to take their medication when they can afford it.  At the office my goal is to keep the price of medication less than the typical cell phone bill or cable bill. This usually isn’t hard to do.  But quality is very important.  Poor quality medication is just a pure waste.

My son has asthma, so do I. Asthma and Emphysema inhalers have become very expensive.  The government has mandated that all inhalers avoid freon.  Freon based inhalers worked, were cheap and people used them. But they are now illegal. Pharmaceutical companies have scrambled to follow the new rules.  They  have designed new inhalers, that cost more money because they were forced to make these changes.  Steroid inhalers now cost at least $100 dollars a month, cash price.  Even at that cost, studies have shown that these inhalers reduce the risk of Emergency visits by so much, they are still a bargain.  Insurance company view these inhalers as  a good investment.  Almost all asthmatics will save themselves money by buying and using their steroid inhalers, just like insurance companies save money.  We’ll buy our steroid inhalers, because a simple ER visit is more expensive that 6 months of inhalers.

How do we plan on saving even more money.  We don’t smoke.  Cigarettes are expensive.  They make asthma worse both for the smoker and everyone around them with asthma.  Riding in a car with a smoker makes me struggle to breath for a week or more afterwards. Little kids with asthma are made sick by their smoking parents.   Think about that $100 inhaler, the cost of the ER visit and the cost of the cigarettes.  Think of the time the asthmatic misses from work or from taking care of their sick kids with asthma.  Now think about saving that pile of money instead of spending it.  It can be done.

Losing weight decreases asthma problems.  Regular activity reduces asthma problems.  Uncontrolled heartburn makes asthma worse.  Sinus problems make asthma worse.  Animals in a house makes many asthma patients worse.  We exercise because it makes us feel better and I don’t like having to see doctors.  Pets are nice, but I like breathing more.   Luckily I have an iron stomach and my only stomach problem is I like food too much, even Uncle Ralph’s Hot and Spicy Chili.

When I talk to people about how to save money and still stay healthy, my goal is to save people thousands of dollars a year.  Talk to you doctor about your options.  Even if you can’t change to cheaper medicines you can save yourself money by walking every day and not smoking.  Two simple things to save yourself money even when you have to take medicines, just like my son and I.