Costs Can Vary By $100 or More for Same Drugs

MONDAY, May 5 (HealthDay News) -- Prices of prescription drugs can vary by
$100 or more for the same drug from store to store -- and even within the
same chain. So it pays to shop around, a new survey found.

But the survey also found that consumers are less likely to consult with
pharmacists about the drugs they're using than they were in the past, which
can lead to serious consequences in terms of drug interactions.

"More people are paying a higher percentage of out-of-pocket expenses for
their prescriptions than they did in 2002," said Tod Marks, senior editor at
Consumer Reports magazine, which conducted the survey.

"In our survey, we found that there was a significant price difference, not
only for the same drug at different stores, but there were price differences
within the same chain and the online price," Marks said. "Sometimes those
prices can be significantly different."

The findings were published in the June issue of Consumer Reports.

For the survey, the magazine called 163 pharmacies nationwide to determine
price differences for four prescription drugs -- three name brand medicines
and one generic.

On Wed, 07 May 2008 10:30:18 GMT, "OldGoat"
ERdocsuckYahoo.com> wrote:

But aren't most people paying more out-of-pocket for most things? One
of the problems with a bad economy is that smaller companies without
cash reserves go belly up, this lessens the supply curve while demand
remains fairly constant for services such as drugs & medical care.

Until we see the whole thing go down the shitter, things will only get
worse -- the government will then attempt to fix them with controls or
programs, then the shit will really hit the fan.

All-in-all we can't be both a Capitalist & Socialist Country at the
same time. One or the other has got to go. As we move more towards
Socialism the tax rate (since ours is progressive) will continue to
eat away at the disposable income of higher income earners forcing
them to cut back on purchases simply to meet their tax burdens.

Dear ZW,

You're right, waffling between so called capitalism (only a few actually see
any capital) and socialism, nothing gets done. I have avoided it for years
but I am learning Spanish and applying for Cuban...

"OldGoat" ERdocsuckYahoo.com> wrote in message
news:SemUj.3737$Ve.1318@trnddc08...

On Sat, 10 May 2008 13:41:18 GMT, "Joe_Z" wrote: