I was standing in what appeared to be a non-moving pharmacy line. The elderly gentleman picking up his medications was confused about the prices being charged, and demanded an explanation. “I"ve been taking these same pills for 10 years,” he said. “Why does it suddenly cost more?”
I hate this.
To make matters worse, the lady in front of me is talking on her cell phone. The guy in front of her is getting visibly grumpy. The pharmacy employee is getting upset. And right then, after waiting in this long and stagnant line for fifteen minutes, I had every excuse to be grumpy too.
I’ve blogged a lot here on TuDiabetes and written in the forums about the struggles I have had recently living as an uninsured diabetic. For the past 6 months I was insured, but diabetes was considered a pre-existing condition and wasn’t covered.
And since May 1st I have had insurance to help me pay for all of my supplies.
All I want is a new vial of insulin, I thought to myself. Then I started to think about last spring. I remembered how a trip to the pharmacy was going to break the bank. I remembered back to April when I literally had to choose to pay my car payment of buy insulin (I picked the wrong one, btw). I remember trying to convince myself that I could put diabetes on hold for a month or two while I took care of some other financial responsibilities.
Eventually I made it to the front of the pharmacy line. I smiled when the pharmacist told me that the vial of insulin that I was paying over $100 for a few months ago would only cost me the $10 co-payment. Things aren’t so bad, I thought. Now if only there was something we could do about those pharmacy lines.
