I took Medicare Rx drug coverage because I would be penalized if I didn’t. I was told after I met the deductible, what a great deal the drugs I take would be.
My son-in-law is an internist living here now but licensed in El Salvador. He or many other people can check drug prices down there, where I need no prescription to buy non-psychotropic drugs.
With the Rx drug plan, my Trajenta still cost me $382 for 90 days in the USA. I can buy the same quantity without the stupid Part D insurance for about $165 in El Salvador.
With the drug plan here, my Farxiga cost $280 here. I can buy the same quantity in El Salvador for $150.
A local pharmacist who I refer patients to does not participate in the Medicare Part D plan I have. He sells me drugs at his cost. Drugs from him without the Part D plan cost the same or even less than with the Part D plan.
Leave it to the gooberment to penalize people for not buying a Rx drug plan that saves them no money.
Of course, it might save money if I had to get drugs in a hospital.
Probably because the GOP with the help of big pharma would have used a fight over that to tank the entire ACA which only got passed by the smallest of margins as it was. Why risk the pretty good at the altar of the perfect?
Dude, the ACA passed without one Republican vote, democrats could have done anything they wanted including single payer or Medicare for all but chose what we have today.
In 2022, we’re going with the cheapest Part D plan offered here, $8/month. We won’t use it, as the goodrx prices are cheaper than the copays for the drugs we take…
That seems like a good decision. That’s the route I’d choose if it weren’t for the pricing on a non-generic blood thinner I’m taking. The Part D for a lot of folks can serve as a safety net if and when a super-expensive drug is an only option.
Wrong Dude. Don’t forget the Dems had thin majorities to work with and were dealing to deal with more than one Joe Manchin type who balked at some of the more progressive components of the ACA proposals. Big pharma, unfortunately, leans not only on the GOP folks, but some moderated and right-leaning Dems.
LOL… Only a lefty would whine about having a filibuster proof majority in the senate. The bottom line is democrats could have done anything they wanted and Republicans couldn’t stop them, dems are responsible for health care in America today.
Part D is unrelated to the ACA and was implemented in 2006, when GWB was Prez. It is a great money maker for insurance companies and provides benefits for few.
Mcarley said our drug prices were higher than the rest of the world, I said that democrats could have fixed that with the ACA. Geeze said they didn’t have the votes, I pointed out they did.
The real blame is high US drug approval process and our out-of-control tort system.
Had the displeasure of viewing a daytime TV show “Wendy” in a health care reception room. 100% of advertisers were lawyers and half of those were trying to get people to sue drug companies. Doesn’t happen in any other country that I have visited.
"In July 2009, House Democrats introduced the Affordable Health Care for America Act, the precursor to the Affordable Care Act. The House passed the bill on November 7, 2009, with the votes of 219 Democrats and one Republican (Rep. Joseph Cao (R-La.)). Thirty-nine Democrats and 176 Republicans voted against the bill. On December 24, 2009, the Senate passed its version of the bill 60-39, with all Democrats voting in favor of the bill and all Republicans but one voting against it (Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) was not present for the vote)æ.[3]
You said wrong… a fight with big pharma would have tanked the entire bill.
In bed with the reality devil. Made the decision to not sacrifice the “pretty good” at the altar of “the perfect”. BTW, drug price inflation was not nearly so inflationary at the time ACA was being debated and voted upon. They were high then, but have exploded in the past 5 or six years. BTW part 2. ACA did fix the miserable Part D donut hole mess.