return2ozmaThe US healthcare system is broken...
Jo MiranMake it make sense.
The price was bullshit to begin with. The cream probably sells over the counter for about $2.50 so OP still ended up paying 10x the price.
GodortIts a tax scheme.
The pharmacy claims this medication is worth $275, insurance covers $40, and then they get as much as they can out of the patient while claiming the rest as a loss they can write off on their taxes.
US healthcare is stupid.
It’s not the pharmacies that set the prices. At least, not really. The pharmacy pays near the listed “cash-price” for the drug from the wholesaler, who buys from the manufacturer, so the pharmacy can’t really afford to charge much less than they do for many drugs.
And the price the patient sees after insurance is decided based on the insurance or pharmacy benefit manager who deals with prescription benefits for the insurance.
Pharmacies are also contractually prevented from charging less to a cash-paying patient than what they charge to the insurance companies, so you start getting weirdness with coupon cards to work around that.
The benefits managers are in on it with both the insurance and pharmacies. When you choose insurance in the US, there’s only one pharmacy brand that you get good benefits at. The drug prices at the others are either insane or not covered at all.