Who else is having issues in getting prescriptions filled? Supply/labor shortages.

[Speedy3861]

I've used CVS, not always reliable, have been using Rite Aid with good success. Changing to a different Medicare Advantage plan 1/1/22, lower co-pays and if I use Express Scripts, all my co-pays are $0 on generics, will save us about $560/yr. Having retired from a 25yr career in healthcare as a Biomedical Technician, with large healthcare systems expanding and competing for a shrinking pool of qualified skilled medical personnel in all disciplines, it's not looking good. CVS is closing a lot of stores and converting some to stores with pharmacies and clinics. You can rest assured that you WON'T be seeing a Doctor in these clinics, more and more primary medical care is being done by Nurse Practitioners, or DNP's. Fewer and fewer MD's and DO's are going into family practice, specialists, like Urologists, Surgeons and Dermatologists make much higher incomes. Pharmacists are like gold bars, the pharmacy's usually bid for them. One of the highest paid disciplines is that of a CRNA, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. Sorry to run a bit off topic, but having been in the medical field for a while, I've gotten my eyes opened, and I'm not happy with what I'm seeing.

 

[vavavroom]

The last prescription drugs I was on for about two weeks were a steroid and and an antibiotic. Both prescriptions ere filled within hours of my doctor placing the order. It must really suck if you depend on any medication and can't get it refilled.

 

[Hall]

But, I'm trying to wrap my head around the fact that, despite having 'good' insurance, my copay is cheaper if I ask the pharmacist to run the fills through GoodRx rather than my regular insurance.

Every RX insurance negotiates slightly different costs for every different medicine. GoodRX just finds the lower priced ones but I have no idea how they allow you or I to use those rates. They also find discount card offers from the medicine makers.

 

[gregk24]

Dad has been with CVS (previously Osco Drug) for decades. Plus, they have locations close to both places where he lives. He is on a first name basis with the managers at the pharmacies in both locations.

Mom lived with Parkinson's for almost four decades... a stunning diagnosis at the age of 40 and Osco Drug/CVS filled every **** prescription. Between the two of them, they have done six figures in business with Osco/CVS, at least once and maybe close to twice. You just don't grab the ball and go home.

The friend in Saint Louis has no choice. The insurance company dictates where she can go. Trust me... she'd bail if she could.

Thats why I tell people to verify your pharmacy coverage when picking a plan.

 

[oldhp]

I've been with same independent pharmacy for over 40 years never a problem. I have more of a problem waiting for the doctor / nurse to call back and refilling the prescription when it runs out.

 

[Speedy3861]

Every RX insurance negotiates slightly different costs for every different medicine. GoodRX just finds the lower priced ones but I have no idea how they allow you or I to use those rates. They also find discount card offers from the medicine makers.

Slightly? With my present insurer, I have one medication that is a Tier4 and the copay for a 90 day prescription is $326. My doctor's MA shopped it thru GoodRX and found it for $28 for the same prescription at a supermarket pharmacy, that's just insane! My new insurer's drug formulary has it as a Tier2, $15 for 90 days, $0 if thru Express Scripts. No logic, makes no sense. Glad I married an RN who worked for a healthcare insurance company, she actually does comparison spreadsheets to sort things out so we can make informed decisions.

 

[Job]

Just realized I had to text YES to CVS for two prescriptions. They always send the reminders too early. Thats all I will have to do and in about five days they are in my mail box. Try signing up online for the prescriptions? They send them from a main office or something. I tried Riteaid and Safeway, and it was always something going wrong, so went this route.

 

[Chris142]

We have been getting the wife's BP pills from Mexico. Cheaper and I don't have to wait hours in the line @ walgreens

 

[Lapham3]

Our close by Walgreens is very busy and short staffed. I used to go to a 24 hour store, but both CVS and Walgreens stopped most night hours at stores. Now much waiting and unfilled scripts only finally filled when we show up in person and wait. Not so very good.

 

[GON]

We have been getting the wife's BP pills from Mexico. Cheaper and I don't have to wait hours in the line @ walgreens

Funny the cost of medicines are so much less in Mexico. Considering so very many of the rugs are made in China and India, have to wave the BS flag that Americans' need to pay 900 percent more for drugs than the rest of the world, based on the theory Americans' pay for the research and development of drugs worldwide.....

Wonder how much of the shortages are due to not having a free market for medications.

Interesting statistic:
The health sector spent the most on lobbying in 2020 — a record $615 million. The efforts paid off, and, Open Secrets reported, “Congress delivered massive windfalls to hospitals and the federal government awarded lucrative contracts to pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers.”

Spending on pharmaceutical industry lobbying also reached a record amount in 2020, at more than $306 million, compared to $299 million in 2019.

Annual lobbying on pharmaceuticals and health products has been on the rise since 2013, and in 2019 the pharmaceutical industry was the top lobbying group in Washington, spending far more than any other industry. Among their top priorities that year was fiercely opposing a bill that would reduce drug costs.

 

[opus1]

Slightly? With my present insurer, I have one medication that is a Tier4 and the copay for a 90 day prescription is $326. My doctor's MA shopped it thru GoodRX and found it for $28 for the same prescription at a supermarket pharmacy, that's just insane! My new insurer's drug formulary has it as a Tier2, $15 for 90 days, $0 if thru Express Scripts. No logic, makes no sense. Glad I married an RN who worked for a healthcare insurance company, she actually does comparison spreadsheets to sort things out so we can make informed decisions.

My savings weren't as drastic but it's 50% cheaper to not use my insurance and use GoodRx instead. I'm happy that option exists, but still...

 

[mk378]

This is the only major country that doesn't regulate the price of prescription drugs. It's not a free market when there is only one supplier that can cure your disease. That is a hard seller's market, and the prices show it.

 

[Dave Hess]

I've used CVS, not always reliable, have been using Rite Aid with good success. Changing to a different Medicare Advantage plan 1/1/22, lower co-pays and if I use Express Scripts, all my co-pays are $0 on generics, will save us about $560/yr. Having retired from a 25yr career in healthcare as a Biomedical Technician, with large healthcare systems expanding and competing for a shrinking pool of qualified skilled medical personnel in all disciplines, it's not looking good. CVS is closing a lot of stores and converting some to stores with pharmacies and clinics. You can rest assured that you WON'T be seeing a Doctor in these clinics, more and more primary medical care is being done by Nurse Practitioners, or DNP's. Fewer and fewer MD's and DO's are going into family practice, specialists, like Urologists, Surgeons and Dermatologists make much higher incomes. Pharmacists are like gold bars, the pharmacy's usually bid for them. One of the highest paid disciplines is that of a CRNA, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. Sorry to run a bit off topic, but having been in the medical field for a while, I've gotten my eyes opened, and I'm not happy with what I'm seeing.

I was also a BMET and agree with you about a shrinking pool of qualified skilled medical personnel in all disciplines.

Healthcare is a business. Some organizations are better than others and some are very terrible.

The ‘Walmart-ification‘ is alive and well at hospitals across the USA.

CFO:
“We have no money in our budget to replace 15 year old patient monitoring in ICU and ER...... but we do have money for 12 Tesla charging stations for the doctor’s parking lot.”


.

 

[Yah-Tah-Hey]

Sad state of affairs.

I think it will get much worse before we get out of the Covid-19 pandemic. Walmart is starting to have to substitute more and more items on our every two week order. Several items that I use showed shipping only, but when I went to our local store yesterday, both items were on the shelf in quantities. I think Walmart's software is having a hard time keeping up with what they have and don't have. Today they didn't have pie cherries, but I think they have them on the shelf. Sometimes the employees filling orders aren't familiar enough with what they actually have on the shelf and just enter not available into their scanner.

 

[Yah-Tah-Hey]

This is the only major country that doesn't regulate the price of prescription drugs. It's not a free market when there is only one supplier that can cure your disease. That is a hard seller's market, and the prices show it.

Big pharma wagging the dog.

 

[Hall]

Walmart is starting to have to substitute more and more items on our every two week order. Several items that I use showed shipping only, but when I went to our local store yesterday, both items were on the shelf in quantities. I think Walmart's software is having a hard time keeping up with what they have and don't have.

I'll put money on it that their software isn't the issue and it has no issues with keeping up. Your last sentence sums up where the issue is, IMO.

 

[SammyChevelleTypeS3]

Of course I am going pick up a prescription right now. Usually 3-4 a month. Shots and antibiotics today. Thank GOD it is not COVID. Just caught the same stuff all the grandkids had the last 10-12 days I spent with them. Sinus.... I can deal with that. I get used to it. I have the wife, her mother, her sister, her niece + my sister, then my #2 son & his mother in law are all teachers so - no hiding from it. They are ALL exposed to every sniffle , runny nose and coughing that all these children (students) run around with. In hindsight that is probably good for all of us? Maybe builds up our own immunity being exposed all the time.

 

[alarmguy]

Call me crazy, I am happy with heathcare in the USA and drug costs acknowledging we do have a shortage of doctors and Ill admit not being completely happy with what I feel is the availability of time that doctors spend with patients.

Drugs? I dont know, I keep hearing about other parts of the world but do not many get the quality of care that we do and the speed of care.
and Drugs?
Well, although I agree they are expensive for some drugs in other parts of the world they cant be had at all. I mean we as a population are relying on drug companies to take care of many preventable aliments that we have. Granted many are not preventable but the drug companies are not god and they are a business to develop drugs to save lives. This cost money and research.

The latest virus (Covid) was a perfect example, I know families, well off families in other countries that waited forever for the American vaccine, turned down the one form China or Russia (forgot which one, maybe both)

We really dont have it bad here, we got it pretty good. Nothing is perfect but its doesnt get much better in a country that is still looked upon as being at the cutting edge of medicine. The only thing that can ruin that is doing away with the free market.

Good RX is a great tool!
and ... to the OP, yeah, just a couple weeks ago, I needed an antibiotic, not rare by any means, an hour later CVS called, asked me to call them. I called, they were out of stock AND their warehouse wherever it was was out of stock and would take like 5 days to get *LOL*
I called Publix, they had it and got it there.

I haven't been loving CVS near us for a long time now, small parking lot, always a line at the register, not so pleasant employees.
So recently started using Walgreens, a little more pleasant, easy to park*L*. I dont need/have many prescriptions and the couple I have cost me nothing with my drug coverage. God willing it stays that way, Im not disparaging in anyway someone with high drug costs my brother is one of them but without the profit margin the companies make, there may not have been any drug for him, who would bother?

 

[SammyChevelleTypeS3]

Call me crazy, I am happy with heathcare in the USA and drug costs acknowledging we do have a shortage of doctors and Ill admit not being completely happy with what I feel is the availability of time that doctors spend with patients.

Drugs? I dont know, I keep hearing about other parts of the world but do not many get the quality of care that we do and the speed of care.
and Drugs?
Well, although I agree they are expensive for some drugs in other parts of the world they cant be had at all. I mean we as a population are relying on drug companies to take care of many preventable aliments that we have. Granted many are not preventable but the drug companies are not god and they are a business to develop drugs to save lives. This cost money and research.

The latest virus (Covid) was a perfect example, I know families, well off families in other countries that waited forever for the American vaccine, turned down the one form China or Russia (forgot which one, maybe both)

We really dont have it bad here, we got it pretty good. Nothing is perfect but its doesnt get much better in a country that is still looked upon as being at the cutting edge of medicine. The only thing that can ruin that is doing away with the free market.

Good RX is a great tool!
and ... to the OP, yeah, just a couple weeks ago, I needed an antibiotic, not rare by any means, an hour later CVS called, asked me to call them. I called, they were out of stock AND their warehouse wherever it was was out of stock and would take like 5 days to get *LOL*
I called Publix, they had it and got it there.

I haven't been loving CVS near us for a long time now, small parking lot, always a line at the register, not so pleasant employees.
So recently started using Walgreens, a little more pleasant, easy to park*L*. I dont need/have many prescriptions and the couple I have cost me nothing with my drug coverage. God willing it stays that way, Im not disparaging in anyway someone with high drug costs my brother is one of them but without the profit margin the companies make, there may not have been any drug for him, who would bother?

Since I have been retired and put on several medicines each month now for a few years, I finally found its better for me to use the small local Mom and Pop pharmacys near me. They DO NOT have that attitude you get from the workers at CVS / Walgreens or Walmart. Plus they get to know you and always have my stuff ready when I arrive.

 

[Andrew1972]

Yes with CVS had issues like you describe.

My wife’s Health plan has a mail order service I use now that seems so clunky but always get stuff out quick and overnight etc.