I ain't got no money!!

[XCashier]

SC: Take this s**t back. I don't take generic drugs.
Pharmacy: It's the law that if there's a generic equivalent, that's what you get.
SC: I don't take generic drugs. Take them back and give me the brand names.
Pharmacy: Sorry, but no, unless your doctor specifically orders a brand name.
SC: I'm telling you, I don't take generic drugs. You think because I'm poor, I'm second class.

"No, it's because you're behaving like a spoiled brat that I think you're second class!"

Folks like Arachne have a valid reason to request the name brand, and they are usually polite about it. Jerks like the above-quoted SC are just foolish brand snobs.

[Misanthropical]

TNT, the guy probably wanted the name brand because they have a higher street value than the generic.

I usually want the generic, because it's cheaper for me, but there is one medication that I can't take the generic of, because I had an allergic reaction to one of the fillers. My insurance basically said "too bad so sad" and refused to cover the name brand, I guess they thought it would be cheaper for me to keep taking it and brought to the ER because of the reaction than it would be for them to just cover the cost of the damn name brand. I just stopped taking it altogether.

[AFpheonix]

Mis, that's when you have your doctor have a chat with your insurance company and secure a prior authorization. At that point, if the insurance agrees, they will pay at least part of it.

Most plans will cover the brand if there's a generic available, but they won't pay nearly as well. (example: I ran out of generic Zofran 8mg the other day, and I was hoping that insurance would still cover the brand pretty well, since this just went generic a few weeks ago. Nope, although it was a $15 copay for generic, it was $200+ for brand.)

If that medicaid guy wanted brand, he had the option of paying out of pocket for it. You get what you pay for as far as public aid goes, and they're not paying a whole lot. I DO always wonder about the scruffy people or teenagers who get brand Vicodin or Percocet. We occasionally get people who are sensitive to the binders, but considering generic Vicodin is our biggest mover, most people do quite well on the generic.

[TNT]

Here's a sucky story about prescription prices... I used to work for a mega mailorder pharmacy. Our job was basically to keep the employer's costs down, which we did by depriving policyholders of the more expensive stuff whenever possible. (Our pharmacists would call doctors and say, "Is this prescription really, really necessary when there are cheaper alternatives available?")

As employees, though, we got a 90 day supply of generics for $5 and brands for $10... even if a generic was available.

I once got a huge supply of brand name Xanax for $10. Someone I knew and I were comparing meds one day, and I mentioned the Xanax.

Acquaintance: Wait... wait... your doctor just gives you Xanax?
Me: Um... yeah. And...?
Acquaintance: Whoa... dude.

Apparently, my Big Bottle O' Joy (as a friend called it) could have netted me some nasty bucks downtown.

[RichS]

All I can say is, thank goodness for generics!

I've been out of work since September. I was lucky that my insurance covered my 3 brand name prescriptions for a $10 co-pay. Now with the insurance gone, they cost $60.

I switched to the generic, and I pay only $12. I haven't noticed any problems of side effects either.

[AFpheonix]

Oftentimes, the people that make the generic are the ones who made the brand in the first place, so even though the tablets have a different imprint, it's the same bloody stuff. For example, new generic Toprol XL 25mg and the new generic Actiq lozenges are made by the companies that made the brand.

[myswtghst]

DesignFox, I feel you on this

You also have to be careful of "pre-existing" conditions.

This is one of the main reasons I'm doing my best to find work I like within the company I'm at-so I can stick with my insurance, which actually happens to be very very good. My doc found precancerous leisions that I recently had surgery to remove, and that will probably recur over my lifetime, so the whole shebang is a "pre-existing" condition if I ever switch insurance. Joy.

[DesignFox]

Good luck MsWhtGhst... I hope everything works out for you so that you don't have to worry!

I'm not sure- but somehow, I think there must be a way to transfer your medical care over to a new insurance company so that they must take over your expenses- I just can't imagine that anyone in this country would ever be able to switch jobs if there wasn't...I just don't remember what you have to do.

[AFpheonix]

This country is in dire need of insurance reform. The system we have now is not supportable.
The only bummer is, if they ever streamlined the entire insurance industry, I might have less to do at work