Online prescription refills?

[WatchingThemGrow]

We've been sentenced to giving DS2 daily pulmicort in the nebulizer plus prevacid solutabs until spring. Our HDHP (High Deductible Health Plan) is freaking me out at the pharmacy counter. Last week it was $179 for the reflux meds, and the breathing treatments will be $200-340. Gulp.

When you order meds online/by mail, who do you use and how does it work? Does the MD just send it directly there? Which companies have good CS?

[AnnieW625]

When my grandma had an RX bill of $700+ every month for my grandpa she went to Costco. I think she did do some mail order meds when she could get them through Canada, but the FDA put a kibash to that one she found that Costco was the best deal.

[BabyMine]

We use Medco (our insurance covered mail order pharmacy) and they have great CS. We get our meds w/in 4-5 days or overnight depending what the medication is. Our Dr. can either fax the RX request or I can mail in the scrips. I have never had any problems with them.

[boolady]

We have to order all of our maintenance medications (DH's blood pressure pills, my thyoid meds) through a mail-away pharmacy designated by our insurance company. As the daughter of 2 pharmacists who owned a very successful "mom and pop" pharmacy for over 30 years, I was deadset against it, but it's actually very easy.

We first had to go online and set up an account with our address, billing info (I chose to go ahead and give them our credit card number to keep so that our prescriptions get processed quickly), etc. When we get a new original prescription, either the doctor's office can fax it to the pharmacy or we can send in the original. We are not permitted to fax it ourselves. Then, we get the medication in the mail.

When we need a refill, you just call the number in just like you would to do your local pharmacy/CVS/whatever. It's really not as bad as I thought it would be.

[egoldber]

Do you have an on-line pharmacy as part of your plan? We did for awhile and we just had to have the doc phone or fax in the prescription. It was not a big deal and pretty much all doc offices are familiar with the process.

Is that large bill a recurring bill for the pulmicort or does that include the price of the nebulizer?

Tell yuor doctor that you would appreciate any samples. I do this all the time at the asthma/allergist's office and usually walk out loaded up with almost a season's full of meds!

[WatchingThemGrow]

Do you have an on-line pharmacy as part of your plan? ]]
Is that large bill a recurring bill for the pulmicort or does that include the price of the nebulizer?

Tell yuor doctor that you would appreciate any samples. I do this all the time at the asthma/allergist's office and usually walk out loaded up with almost a season's full of meds!
too lazy to end/begin quotes..
1. after the PPs responded, I looked it up online. Yes, looks like Medco is the one. I printed up the paperwork.
2.pulmicort price is for 2 boxes (maybe 60) and albuterol is $300 for maybe the same.
3.good idea! I will call to see if I can get any samples. I need to get another nebulizer mask as well since someone damaged one during playtime. We discovered who when we were watching a video of DS1 dancing before bedtime one night. DS2 was in the background whipping it around. oops.

[egoldber]

Ask if they have a spare mask at the office.

[o_mom]

too lazy to end/begin quotes..
1. after the PPs responded, I looked it up online. Yes, looks like Medco is the one. I printed up the paperwork.
2.pulmicort price is for 2 boxes (maybe 60) and albuterol is $300 for maybe the same.
3.good idea! I will call to see if I can get any samples. I need to get another nebulizer mask as well since someone damaged one during playtime. We discovered who when we were watching a video of DS1 dancing before bedtime one night. DS2 was in the background whipping it around. oops.

Check the price through your contracted pharmacy - it may be cheaper than the quote at the pharmacy counter. We have had good experience with Medco (our contracted provider). You will get the insurance negotiated rates, even though you have to pay 100%.

Check with Walmart on the albuterol - they have several options for that on their $4 list. It may mean changing the dosing slightly, but take the list to your doctor and ask if any of those will work for you.

Remember also, that all of this will go toward your deductible (not that it helps the bills now).

Oh, and pediatric masks are about $10 or less, usually.

[egoldber]

Well, the pulmicort you use daily. But that seems really high for the albuterol. Plus you only use that as needed right? Not all the time. So hopefully you won't need to refill that.

[WatchingThemGrow]

Remember also, that all of this will go toward your deductible (not that it helps the bills now).

Oh, and pediatric masks are about $10 or less, usually.
Good tips. DH started a new job in Aug, so our new ins. just started. We have to pay the $3k deductible between now and the end of the year, then AGAIN(!) starting in Jan. It's just painful..

Looks like I'll spend all afternoon on the phone. Which is still better than going into the pharmacy with 3 monkeys. ;)

[WatchingThemGrow]

Yay!! nurse is checking for samples now, says she'll look into ordering pulmicort and prevacid through Medco online... :)

[niccig]

I've also heard good things about Costco. FIL take 20 pills a day, and he uses Costco. Maybe you can do that for prescriptions that need to be filled ASAP and then medco for other things.

[lowrioh]

Make sure the albuterol they are dispensing at the pharmacy is the preferred brand for your insurance. My DH uses an inhaler and the pharmacy gave him Brand A and it was $50...I looked it up on our insurances formulary and the preferred brand was only a $7 co-pay.

[BabyMine]

Also ask if they have any coupons. You can send the coupons to Medco and they will apply it when you fill them.

[WatchingThemGrow]

Also ask if they have any coupons. You can send the coupons to Medco and they will apply it when you fill them.
coupons?? where are they from?

Medco has the scripts now and I've spent a lovely 1.5 hours over two nights trying to get them to hold off on the albuterol. We have plenty for now and to halve the budesonide. It brought the total for a 90 day supply to $591. Prevacid solutabs are expensive, but worth it. DS2 was up during the night, we assume from reflux b/c he didn't have the meds for 2 days. poor guy. They are going to overnight it after they change some things on the script. So, that's good!

[amldaley]

Costco has been great for me. My meds are 1/4 of the price CVS charged.

As for online or auto delivery, I get durable medical equipment from Carolina Home Medical. After initial consult, they track how often you need refills or new gear based on your insurace and they call you when it is time to reorder with an automated caller. You just press a number to authorize. My Dr sent the script directy to them and they did everything for me.

For med,s Carolina Home Medical is owned by Realo Drug, but I don't know if they are discounted or not. Not sure if you have Realo there or not.

[ett]

Well, the pulmicort you use daily. But that seems really high for the albuterol. Plus you only use that as needed right? Not all the time. So hopefully you won't need to refill that.

Yeah, $300 seems really high for albuterol. Is this the generic albuterol that comes in the small bottle with the medicine dropper and you add it either to the Pulmicort or into saline solution? I can't imagine that being $300.

[WatchingThemGrow]

a 90 day supply of albuterol turned out to be $75ish through medco. prevacid was the kicker at nearly $500. pulmicort was $250 but that was for 180 days, which was more than we want right now. They changed that to a 90 day supply. Funny, but THEY were shocked at our almost $800 bill.

[WatchingThemGrow]

Ok, guys...nearly a week has passed and I'm STILL waiting on Medco to process our order for DS2's meds. I've logged about 3-4 hours on the phone with them now, and they are now helping me to get a local pharmacy to fill the prescription enough for 14 days until they can process the original prescription. Now I have to call our doctor back and explain this mess/ask for a 14day supply prescription to be sent in. If I went to just get the meds (like I did last week) they would say that the ins. would not pay b/c it is in process already, and I would be paying $7/day for ONE of the meds. What a pitb.

I saw some old threads from Momof3Labs and melissaTC about their troubles with Medco. I'm beginning to feel passionate about them as well, but not in a good way.

How long is it usually between the dr. calling it in and the stuff arriving?