A Pharmacy Love Story [Not!]
Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2017 3:35 am
I went to Target/CVS to fill my 90 day supply of 5 mg Norco. My insurance economically coerces me to fill my rxs at CVS, which I have always hated and wouldn't go there otherwise. I have been really busy lately and it took me 2 days after the MD appt to get to the pharmacy, even though I was out of meds. I only had a little time so I was trying to both drop off and wait for the rx to be ready.
Well, the pharmacy said my insurance denied the quantity because my insurance will only allow a 22 day supply, unless you have a "preauthorization" showing that you need more. And of course for the preauth the insurance company has to talk to your MD. My sleep MD is only in the office a few days a week, and this wasn't one of them.
So then I said ok just fill 22 days worth and I will come back for the rest. Nope. They can't do that; I was told I'd have to "forfeit" the rest of the pills [The pharamacist gets to eat them or what?! ]. In other words, that would mean I'd have to go back and see my MD again to get another rx before I ran out because where I live you can't have refills on Norco...every new rx you have to go in. I haven't reached my ridiculous $1,750 annual deductible yet, so that means I'd have to pay close to $100 out of pocket to see my doctor again to get another rx. No thanks.
So then I said OK I'll just pay out of pocket how much is it? $86. So I was like screw that, I will take my rx back and go to Costco, where I bet it will be a lot cheaper.
I get to Costco and they refuse to fill the rx because "You haven't filled this medication here in a year, and we have to talk to your doctor to verify the medication. Why haven't you filled it here?" I told them that I was coerced into going to CVS by my insurance company. But they still didn't care, it was a "costco policy."
By that time I started actually sobbing in public I was so enraged and frustrated. I felt like every creative solution I tried to come up with was thrwarted by the bureaucracy and I couldn't take it. I asked to talk to the district supervisor to see if costco would make an exception but of course they would not. So then I said well can I call my PCP and have her verify the rx, she knows I'm on it and she knows what it's for.
So I call my PCP's office and the receptionist says, "Well I don't know if she can do that because she didn't write the prescription, but let me check." My PCP is quite reasonable and agreed to verify with Costco that she knows I'm taking the medication. So I was finally able to get it. The whole rigamarole took about an hour and a half.
Costco fills the rx for me and it's $26, compared to Target $86! At the end, the pharmacist says to me, "I'm just going to be straight with you, I'm going to follow up with your other doctor on Monday about this prescription." I said, "I don't care, she prescribed it for me!"
While I was crying at the pharmacy some nice lady passed by and asked me if I needed a hug. Sometimes strangers can be so nice. I didn't take her up on the hug, but I did tell her why I was so upset and how angry I am that this is how it is in the USA, the insurance companies want to deny care for any reason. It wasn't just the arbitrary 22 day supply, it's everything...my blasted $1,750 deductible, etc (my employer only offers one health plan and this is it).
I emailed my sleep MD about the whole thing and she said she was sorry, that the ins cos have gotten so bad, and everything is now hassled, denied, and questioned to the point that many MDs are going to start not taking insurance anymore.
Well, the pharmacy said my insurance denied the quantity because my insurance will only allow a 22 day supply, unless you have a "preauthorization" showing that you need more. And of course for the preauth the insurance company has to talk to your MD. My sleep MD is only in the office a few days a week, and this wasn't one of them.
So then I said ok just fill 22 days worth and I will come back for the rest. Nope. They can't do that; I was told I'd have to "forfeit" the rest of the pills [The pharamacist gets to eat them or what?! ]. In other words, that would mean I'd have to go back and see my MD again to get another rx before I ran out because where I live you can't have refills on Norco...every new rx you have to go in. I haven't reached my ridiculous $1,750 annual deductible yet, so that means I'd have to pay close to $100 out of pocket to see my doctor again to get another rx. No thanks.
So then I said OK I'll just pay out of pocket how much is it? $86. So I was like screw that, I will take my rx back and go to Costco, where I bet it will be a lot cheaper.
I get to Costco and they refuse to fill the rx because "You haven't filled this medication here in a year, and we have to talk to your doctor to verify the medication. Why haven't you filled it here?" I told them that I was coerced into going to CVS by my insurance company. But they still didn't care, it was a "costco policy."
By that time I started actually sobbing in public I was so enraged and frustrated. I felt like every creative solution I tried to come up with was thrwarted by the bureaucracy and I couldn't take it. I asked to talk to the district supervisor to see if costco would make an exception but of course they would not. So then I said well can I call my PCP and have her verify the rx, she knows I'm on it and she knows what it's for.
So I call my PCP's office and the receptionist says, "Well I don't know if she can do that because she didn't write the prescription, but let me check." My PCP is quite reasonable and agreed to verify with Costco that she knows I'm taking the medication. So I was finally able to get it. The whole rigamarole took about an hour and a half.
Costco fills the rx for me and it's $26, compared to Target $86! At the end, the pharmacist says to me, "I'm just going to be straight with you, I'm going to follow up with your other doctor on Monday about this prescription." I said, "I don't care, she prescribed it for me!"
While I was crying at the pharmacy some nice lady passed by and asked me if I needed a hug. Sometimes strangers can be so nice. I didn't take her up on the hug, but I did tell her why I was so upset and how angry I am that this is how it is in the USA, the insurance companies want to deny care for any reason. It wasn't just the arbitrary 22 day supply, it's everything...my blasted $1,750 deductible, etc (my employer only offers one health plan and this is it).
I emailed my sleep MD about the whole thing and she said she was sorry, that the ins cos have gotten so bad, and everything is now hassled, denied, and questioned to the point that many MDs are going to start not taking insurance anymore.