I have been in the USA a couple of years now. Back home in Britain we have the NHS so it's been hard learning about the private healthcare system since I was diagnosed T1D six months ago.
I currently get all my supplies at Walgreens pharmacies, and I'm covered by Aetna. I pay a token amount on all supplies, but even with insurance it's a major expense.
Can anyone suggest where / how I can get supplies more cheaply? Or with less hassle (perhaps online?)
Or would I find that I have to pay the same amount with any supplier, due to the way private healthcare works in the US?
If you have access through work to order a 90-day supply for delivery through the mail, that may be the cheapest route. For example, through my ex-employer's pharmacy benefit manager Express-Scipts, I can get a 90-day supply of insulin and test strips for $89.
I've read others here that get better deals but that price is affordable to me. Ask your human resources department if they have a "mail order prescription program." Not every company has this benefit but many do.
Terry gives you good advice. I also have Aetna and order my supplies through Aetna mail-order. This enables me to pay a single co-pay for a 90 day supply. Your costs will really depend on your plan, but in my case buying a 30 day supply of something like Humalog at a local pharmacy will cost me $20 for a 30 day supply while buying through Aetna mail-order I pay $40 for a 90 day supply. My doctors can directly send the prescriptions to Aetna. Aetna has an electronic portal for prescription submissions. In your current situation there is unlikely to be a less expensive way to get your prescriptions filled than mail order.
ps. And make sure that you get your prescriptions as either a generic or preferred branded. Work with your doctor to appeal any key prescriptions that are deemed by Aetna as branded non-preferred as you will pay through the nose for them.
It depends on the details of your insurance plan, but very often insurance plans will have a preferred mail-order pharmacy where the copays are lower or you get more months of supplies for the same copay. Visit your company's HR benefits office or call the number/check the website on the insurance card to see if you have this.
I have had very good success with my insurance company's mail-order pharmacy. In the past couple years, my doc can send the once-a-year refill prescription straight to my insurance company's mail-order pharmacy and I can visit the insurance company's website to re-order every 3 months.
Also, check to see that all your prescriptions are on your insurer's formulary. This is the company's preferred list of drugs, and they are cheaper to you. I'm currently on Novolog for that reason. I'm fortunate; I've gone back and forth from Novolog to Humalog without any problems. If you can't tolerate a certain drug on the formulary, your doctor can request an exception for you.
Hey, I just wanted to say thanks to all of you. I am now on a 90-day supply and it's a little cheaper, but infinitely easier! With 9-10 prescriptions every month...
