OT medicine costs killing me

The suits here at local thrift stores is more like $12 and up.
You are really doing well there
Taria

Leslie in Missouri wrote:
WHOA there!!! I also wear $300 suits and dresses (to church) because I
haunt the thrift shops and catch the doctor's and lawyer's wives cast
offs- which I buy for $2.00. Please don't be so quick to judge....

Leslie- on disability and Medicaid... and damn sure wish I wasn't!!!

The HairyFacedOnes 'N Me- My dogs aren't my whole life...they make my
life whole.

RCTQ- Houston 2004..... A good friend will come and bail you out of
jail.... but, a true friend will be sitting next to you saying, "Damn...
that was fun!"

Thank you for this response. I often wonder if people really
know how much others have to pay for prescriptions. I live
in a very well off neighborhood and have great insurance
through my husband--yet I heard a woman at the pharmacy a
month ago complain that the price of drugs on her plan (the
same company where my husband works) had gone up. We used to
pay 7 dollars each for anything, now it's 5 for generic on
their list of Preferred Drugs, or 10 for name brand
Preferred, or 16 if it's not on their list. So my birth
control, for example, has gone from 7 a month to 16, but
that's still better than the 32 they would be without it.
This woman was complaining about 31 dollars for 3
prescriptions--chances are she lives in a similar
neighborhood with just as much disposable income, ie. 31
dollars that does not come out of the food budget. I just
wanted to scream. Does she have any idea how lucky she is?
Obviously not. I never ever take it for granted that I am
saving a fortune. My allergy medications would be 97.99 and
75.99 each month without insurance--I pay 20 for both. When
I was on antidepressants they would have been 122 a month. I
also use a special shampoo sometimes, which would be 75.99
for two bottles, again I only pay 16.

I do worry about the future though: without insurance it
would be a serious problem for me to pay for these drugs,
ie. if I were widowed, or of my husband were to lose his job
(easy since he works in the computer industry). It doesn't
make sense to me that people like me who could pay full
price don't (because of great insurance), and those who need
life-saving drugs (none of mine are) are stuck trying to pay
for their medication because they can't work or do work but
their insurance is lousy. Grrr.

Sorry for the rant (I seem to do this a lot lately), but
prescription drug prices is one of my MAJOR pet peeves.
Another pet peeve this generates: well-off people who
complain about money (like 31 dollars is a lot of money to
them). Grrrrrr again.

Kelly
Beaverton, Oregon
[really, I'll stop ranting now]


"Denise G." wrote in message
...
This subject is very close to my heart. I have run a food
pantry for 14
years and the high cost of prescriptions is the reason why
so many of
our clients need free food. People shouldn't have to
choose between
eating and taking medicines.

It breaks my heart to see the tears on the faces of so
many people who
have worked hard all of their lives to raise families and
be good
citizens only to have to swallow their pride, go into a
strange church,
and ask for food. Happily, after they meet us, they
realise that they
won't be judged and help is available.

Driving around my town, you don't see slums or run down
areas, and the
$300,000 homes are being built right and left, so most
folks don't even
realise what I see every week.

My favorite part of the job is fundraising and talking to
"SUITS" (as I
call the business men with money) at their little meetings
to inform
them about the invisible poverty in our town. It's a real
eye opener
for them to hear that some of their neighbors are in such
dire needs.
They just take it for granted that everyone is healthy or
has wonderful
health insurance like they do.

After illness and the cost of medications, the next
biggest cause of
food pantry use in my town is illiteracy. You should have
heard the
reaction when I last spoke to a group of school teachers
and told them
that about a third of our clients can't read. I wasn't
too popular
after that talk.

Denise in NH

It doesn't
make sense to me that people like me who could pay full
price don't (because of great insurance), and those who need
life-saving drugs (none of mine are) are stuck trying to pay
for their medication because they can't work or do work but
their insurance is lousy. Grrr.

Insurance that you get through work is not charity. Your husband earns it.
The company he works for includes it in his compensation in order to compete
for employees in the labor market. No one forces them to provide insurance.
Feeling bad for people who don't have insurance is fine (and I do feel bad for
people without insurance) but don't feel guilty that you have it.
Lisa in Florida

I guess I didn't title my question very well. The prescription costs really
aren't killing me. They just gripe the stuffing out of me. I would so much
rather spend my "disposable" income on nice stuff for my preemie baby crisis
center projects than keeping a CEO of a drug company in unbelievable wealth.
That said - to those of you who replied here or privately, I sincerely
thank you. I'm going to give one of them a go. If I start doing my postings
in French, you'll know that my prescriptions are affecting me strangely.
Polly

Until you stand in line for an hour in the biting wind and rain waiting to
get some "free" food, don't condemn anyone that does. Sure, we live in a
house 5 years old and drive an SUV 4 years old..... and 15 months ago we had
an income of $3000/month. But today things are much different... I've read
posts on this NG about not putting a price on their quilts... mine have
prices.... when I first started making dolls, I had another doll maker
degrade me for making dolls to sell.... hers were made with love and if
someone wanted to "adopt" them at her inflated prices, that was fine. Yes,
I still have internet connection. It's one lifeline to the creative world
that I have maintained.

Kelly, how many people in Beaverton do you know that were affected adversely
by the closure of Emporium??? My DH helped that company grow from 5 stores
to 35 but was told he didn't know what he was talking about when he pointed
out problems with new management. Now we may lose what we worked for that
past 30 years...

Stepping down and shutting up.

--
Mary
http://community.webshots.com/user/mardor1948
"kjbs" wrote in message
news:ZDr9c.111125$_w.1364624@attbi_s53...
Thank you for this response. I often wonder if people really
know how much others have to pay for prescriptions. I live
in a very well off neighborhood and have great insurance
through my husband--yet I heard a woman at the pharmacy a
month ago complain that the price of drugs on her plan (the
same company where my husband works) had gone up. We used to
pay 7 dollars each for anything, now it's 5 for generic on
their list of Preferred Drugs, or 10 for name brand
Preferred, or 16 if it's not on their list. So my birth
control, for example, has gone from 7 a month to 16, but
that's still better than the 32 they would be without it.
This woman was complaining about 31 dollars for 3
prescriptions--chances are she lives in a similar
neighborhood with just as much disposable income, ie. 31
dollars that does not come out of the food budget. I just
wanted to scream. Does she have any idea how lucky she is?
Obviously not. I never ever take it for granted that I am
saving a fortune. My allergy medications would be 97.99 and
75.99 each month without insurance--I pay 20 for both. When
I was on antidepressants they would have been 122 a month. I
also use a special shampoo sometimes, which would be 75.99
for two bottles, again I only pay 16.

I do worry about the future though: without insurance it
would be a serious problem for me to pay for these drugs,
ie. if I were widowed, or of my husband were to lose his job
(easy since he works in the computer industry). It doesn't
make sense to me that people like me who could pay full
price don't (because of great insurance), and those who need
life-saving drugs (none of mine are) are stuck trying to pay
for their medication because they can't work or do work but
their insurance is lousy. Grrr.

Sorry for the rant (I seem to do this a lot lately), but
prescription drug prices is one of my MAJOR pet peeves.
Another pet peeve this generates: well-off people who
complain about money (like 31 dollars is a lot of money to
them). Grrrrrr again.

Kelly
Beaverton, Oregon
[really, I'll stop ranting now]


"Denise G." wrote in message
...
This subject is very close to my heart. I have run a food
pantry for 14
years and the high cost of prescriptions is the reason why
so many of
our clients need free food. People shouldn't have to
choose between
eating and taking medicines.

It breaks my heart to see the tears on the faces of so
many people who
have worked hard all of their lives to raise families and
be good
citizens only to have to swallow their pride, go into a
strange church,
and ask for food. Happily, after they meet us, they
realise that they
won't be judged and help is available.

Driving around my town, you don't see slums or run down
areas, and the
$300,000 homes are being built right and left, so most
folks don't even
realise what I see every week.

My favorite part of the job is fundraising and talking to
"SUITS" (as I
call the business men with money) at their little meetings
to inform
them about the invisible poverty in our town. It's a real
eye opener
for them to hear that some of their neighbors are in such
dire needs.
They just take it for granted that everyone is healthy or
has wonderful
health insurance like they do.

After illness and the cost of medications, the next
biggest cause of
food pantry use in my town is illiteracy. You should have
heard the
reaction when I last spoke to a group of school teachers
and told them
that about a third of our clients can't read. I wasn't
too popular
after that talk.

Denise in NH

I'm not sure just what you mean. Should people pay more $ for
their meds because they have more $ ?
Just curious how you determine what 'well off' people are?
Health insurance as a benefit that like someone else mentioned
is part of the pay you work for if we are talking group insurance
from an employer. Dh has passed up several good jobs over the
years because the insuarnce not adequate for our comfort level.
This discussion always degrades to politics here. I think it makes
Marie happy to see the US folks squabbling
The choices might not be easy as you get older but I hope as we
help our parents deal with these problems we plan for our own future
if we are able.
Taria

kjbs wrote:
Thank you for this response. I often wonder if people really
know how much others have to pay for prescriptions. I live
in a very well off neighborhood and have great insurance
through my husband--yet I heard a woman at the pharmacy a
month ago complain that the price of drugs on her plan (the
same company where my husband works) had gone up. We used to
pay 7 dollars each for anything, now it's 5 for generic on
their list of Preferred Drugs, or 10 for name brand
Preferred, or 16 if it's not on their list. So my birth
control, for example, has gone from 7 a month to 16, but
that's still better than the 32 they would be without it.
This woman was complaining about 31 dollars for 3
prescriptions--chances are she lives in a similar
neighborhood with just as much disposable income, ie. 31
dollars that does not come out of the food budget. I just
wanted to scream. Does she have any idea how lucky she is?
Obviously not. I never ever take it for granted that I am
saving a fortune. My allergy medications would be 97.99 and
75.99 each month without insurance--I pay 20 for both. When
I was on antidepressants they would have been 122 a month. I
also use a special shampoo sometimes, which would be 75.99
for two bottles, again I only pay 16.

I do worry about the future though: without insurance it
would be a serious problem for me to pay for these drugs,
ie. if I were widowed, or of my husband were to lose his job
(easy since he works in the computer industry). It doesn't
make sense to me that people like me who could pay full
price don't (because of great insurance), and those who need
life-saving drugs (none of mine are) are stuck trying to pay
for their medication because they can't work or do work but
their insurance is lousy. Grrr.

Sorry for the rant (I seem to do this a lot lately), but
prescription drug prices is one of my MAJOR pet peeves.
Another pet peeve this generates: well-off people who
complain about money (like 31 dollars is a lot of money to
them). Grrrrrr again.

Kelly
Beaverton, Oregon
[really, I'll stop ranting now]


"Denise G." wrote in message
...

This subject is very close to my heart. I have run a food

pantry for 14

years and the high cost of prescriptions is the reason why

so many of

our clients need free food. People shouldn't have to

choose between

eating and taking medicines.

It breaks my heart to see the tears on the faces of so

many people who

have worked hard all of their lives to raise families and

be good

citizens only to have to swallow their pride, go into a

strange church,

and ask for food. Happily, after they meet us, they

realise that they

won't be judged and help is available.

Driving around my town, you don't see slums or run down

areas, and the

$300,000 homes are being built right and left, so most

folks don't even

realise what I see every week.

My favorite part of the job is fundraising and talking to

"SUITS" (as I

call the business men with money) at their little meetings

to inform

them about the invisible poverty in our town. It's a real

eye opener

for them to hear that some of their neighbors are in such

dire needs.

They just take it for granted that everyone is healthy or

has wonderful

health insurance like they do.

After illness and the cost of medications, the next

biggest cause of

food pantry use in my town is illiteracy. You should have

heard the

reaction when I last spoke to a group of school teachers

and told them

that about a third of our clients can't read. I wasn't

too popular

after that talk.

Denise in NH

"Taria" wrote in message
...
I'm not sure just what you mean. Should people pay more $
for
their meds because they have more $ ?

No! I am not saying that, and I am beginning to wish I
hadn't responded (I responded to Mary in Oregon privately).
I just am pointing out how sad/frustrating it is that often
the people who could pay for expensive drugs are the ones
with good insurance and don't have to pay the full price,
that's all.

Just curious how you determine what 'well off' people are?

Well, roughly about 60,000 a year before taxes? For two
people...

Health insurance as a benefit that like someone else
mentioned
is part of the pay you work for if we are talking group
insurance
from an employer. Dh has passed up several good jobs over
the
years because the insuarnce not adequate for our comfort
level.
This discussion always degrades to politics here. I think
it makes
Marie happy to see the US folks squabbling
The choices might not be easy as you get older but I hope
as we
help our parents deal with these problems we plan for our
own future
if we are able.
Taria

I know insurance is a benefit of his job, and I'm happy he
has it.

I don't want to get into a political discussion either. My
main point is that people with good insurance often don't
realize how lucky they are, that's ALL.

Kelly




kjbs wrote:
Thank you for this response. I often wonder if people
really
know how much others have to pay for prescriptions. I
live
in a very well off neighborhood and have great insurance
through my husband--yet I heard a woman at the pharmacy
a
month ago complain that the price of drugs on her plan
(the
same company where my husband works) had gone up. We
used to
pay 7 dollars each for anything, now it's 5 for generic
on
their list of Preferred Drugs, or 10 for name brand
Preferred, or 16 if it's not on their list. So my birth
control, for example, has gone from 7 a month to 16, but
that's still better than the 32 they would be without
it.
This woman was complaining about 31 dollars for 3
prescriptions--chances are she lives in a similar
neighborhood with just as much disposable income, ie. 31
dollars that does not come out of the food budget. I
just
wanted to scream. Does she have any idea how lucky she
is?
Obviously not. I never ever take it for granted that I
am
saving a fortune. My allergy medications would be 97.99
and
75.99 each month without insurance--I pay 20 for both.
When
I was on antidepressants they would have been 122 a
month. I
also use a special shampoo sometimes, which would be
75.99
for two bottles, again I only pay 16.

I do worry about the future though: without insurance it
would be a serious problem for me to pay for these
drugs,
ie. if I were widowed, or of my husband were to lose his
job
(easy since he works in the computer industry). It
doesn't
make sense to me that people like me who could pay full
price don't (because of great insurance), and those who
need
life-saving drugs (none of mine are) are stuck trying to
pay
for their medication because they can't work or do work
but
their insurance is lousy. Grrr.

Sorry for the rant (I seem to do this a lot lately), but
prescription drug prices is one of my MAJOR pet peeves.
Another pet peeve this generates: well-off people who
complain about money (like 31 dollars is a lot of money
to
them). Grrrrrr again.

Kelly
Beaverton, Oregon
[really, I'll stop ranting now]


"Denise G." wrote in message
...

This subject is very close to my heart. I have run a
food

pantry for 14

years and the high cost of prescriptions is the reason
why

so many of

our clients need free food. People shouldn't have to

choose between

eating and taking medicines.

It breaks my heart to see the tears on the faces of so

many people who

have worked hard all of their lives to raise families
and

be good

citizens only to have to swallow their pride, go into a

strange church,

and ask for food. Happily, after they meet us, they

realise that they

won't be judged and help is available.

Driving around my town, you don't see slums or run down

areas, and the

$300,000 homes are being built right and left, so most

folks don't even

realise what I see every week.

My favorite part of the job is fundraising and talking
to

"SUITS" (as I

call the business men with money) at their little
meetings

to inform

them about the invisible poverty in our town. It's a
real

eye opener

for them to hear that some of their neighbors are in
such

dire needs.

They just take it for granted that everyone is healthy
or

has wonderful

health insurance like they do.

After illness and the cost of medications, the next

biggest cause of

food pantry use in my town is illiteracy. You should
have

heard the

reaction when I last spoke to a group of school teachers

and told them

that about a third of our clients can't read. I wasn't

too popular

after that talk.

Denise in NH

Thanks for the private email, Kelly

--
Mary
http://community.webshots.com/user/mardor1948
"kjbs" wrote in message
news:U1t9c.21067$K91.65409@attbi_s02...

"Taria" wrote in message
...
I'm not sure just what you mean. Should people pay more $
for
their meds because they have more $ ?

No! I am not saying that, and I am beginning to wish I
hadn't responded (I responded to Mary in Oregon privately).
I just am pointing out how sad/frustrating it is that often
the people who could pay for expensive drugs are the ones
with good insurance and don't have to pay the full price,
that's all.

Just curious how you determine what 'well off' people are?

Well, roughly about 60,000 a year before taxes? For two
people...

Health insurance as a benefit that like someone else
mentioned
is part of the pay you work for if we are talking group
insurance
from an employer. Dh has passed up several good jobs over
the
years because the insuarnce not adequate for our comfort
level.
This discussion always degrades to politics here. I think
it makes
Marie happy to see the US folks squabbling
The choices might not be easy as you get older but I hope
as we
help our parents deal with these problems we plan for our
own future
if we are able.
Taria

I know insurance is a benefit of his job, and I'm happy he
has it.

I don't want to get into a political discussion either. My
main point is that people with good insurance often don't
realize how lucky they are, that's ALL.

Kelly




kjbs wrote:
Thank you for this response. I often wonder if people
really
know how much others have to pay for prescriptions. I
live
in a very well off neighborhood and have great insurance
through my husband--yet I heard a woman at the pharmacy
a
month ago complain that the price of drugs on her plan
(the
same company where my husband works) had gone up. We
used to
pay 7 dollars each for anything, now it's 5 for generic
on
their list of Preferred Drugs, or 10 for name brand
Preferred, or 16 if it's not on their list. So my birth
control, for example, has gone from 7 a month to 16, but
that's still better than the 32 they would be without
it.
This woman was complaining about 31 dollars for 3
prescriptions--chances are she lives in a similar
neighborhood with just as much disposable income, ie. 31
dollars that does not come out of the food budget. I
just
wanted to scream. Does she have any idea how lucky she
is?
Obviously not. I never ever take it for granted that I
am
saving a fortune. My allergy medications would be 97.99
and
75.99 each month without insurance--I pay 20 for both.
When
I was on antidepressants they would have been 122 a
month. I
also use a special shampoo sometimes, which would be
75.99
for two bottles, again I only pay 16.

I do worry about the future though: without insurance it
would be a serious problem for me to pay for these
drugs,
ie. if I were widowed, or of my husband were to lose his
job
(easy since he works in the computer industry). It
doesn't
make sense to me that people like me who could pay full
price don't (because of great insurance), and those who
need
life-saving drugs (none of mine are) are stuck trying to
pay
for their medication because they can't work or do work
but
their insurance is lousy. Grrr.

Sorry for the rant (I seem to do this a lot lately), but
prescription drug prices is one of my MAJOR pet peeves.
Another pet peeve this generates: well-off people who
complain about money (like 31 dollars is a lot of money
to
them). Grrrrrr again.

Kelly
Beaverton, Oregon
[really, I'll stop ranting now]


"Denise G." wrote in message
...

This subject is very close to my heart. I have run a
food

pantry for 14

years and the high cost of prescriptions is the reason
why

so many of

our clients need free food. People shouldn't have to

choose between

eating and taking medicines.

It breaks my heart to see the tears on the faces of so

many people who

have worked hard all of their lives to raise families
and

be good

citizens only to have to swallow their pride, go into a

strange church,

and ask for food. Happily, after they meet us, they

realise that they

won't be judged and help is available.

Driving around my town, you don't see slums or run down

areas, and the

$300,000 homes are being built right and left, so most

folks don't even

realise what I see every week.

My favorite part of the job is fundraising and talking
to

"SUITS" (as I

call the business men with money) at their little
meetings

to inform

them about the invisible poverty in our town. It's a
real

eye opener

for them to hear that some of their neighbors are in
such

dire needs.

They just take it for granted that everyone is healthy
or

has wonderful

health insurance like they do.

After illness and the cost of medications, the next

biggest cause of

food pantry use in my town is illiteracy. You should
have

heard the

reaction when I last spoke to a group of school teachers

and told them

that about a third of our clients can't read. I wasn't

too popular

after that talk.

Denise in NH

YOu aren't well off around here for a long way
past 60K! Guess that is a regional thing.
I get your point but after watching poor choices
of siblings (and they were choices and
lessons learned hard) I don't necessarily
look at insurance as always lucky but making decisions
that are sometimes more sensible than fun.
Having insurance is not always a choice and for those
folks I feel sorry, but for some it is and they
don't choose it.
Taria, hard for me to write what I mean too!

.. I think it makes
Marie happy to see the US folks squabbling

It certainly does not!
I am just so sorry for those who cannot afford to have the drugs they really
need. That is all.

And I am glad we in the UK have the NHS. I do not know anyone here who
would wish to abandon it.
Even the rich.