DRUG SCAMP
 
     Under the new Drug Plan for Senior Citizens of the
Ontario Government, A individual who receives a income of
over $16,018, and families whose combined income exceeds
$24,175 a year will be asked to pay the first $100.00 in
prescription costs. After that, you pay up to a maximum of
$6.11 ODB dispensing fee for each prescription you have
filled in the year.
     While many people are carrying supplementary private
insurance coverage as part of their retirement benefit
package, which will pay for this cost, less the deductible
and co-insurance costs, Insurance Companies are now
requesting that where a person is taking a medication on a
continual basis as prescribed by a Physician, that the
patient obtain at least three estimates from local Druggists
for filling the prescription, and they will only pay the
difference of cost between the Generic type and the Brand
name, if such is required by the Doctor.
     There are many Druggist who will fill the Prescription
for a fee of $4.11 and some of the 'mail order' supply
companies for a cost of $5.00 plus delivery charges to any
address in Canada or a cost of $29.00 CAN,if sent to the
U.S.A.
     However there are a number of Druggist that now have
a new scheme in which they will only supply you with a
30 day supply at a time, charge you for that dispensing fee
and then repeat the same scam again in another 30 days. So
a original RX for a quantity of 100 days could now land up
by costing you 3 times the normal dispensing fee.
     For people that travel to Florida or some other
destination to escape the cold, many Druggists will supply
you a full quantity of 200 days supply of the drugs you are
taking subject to you paying up-front the cost of the 2nd 100
days supply and waiting for a refund of your money after the
Druggist has been paid for the second filling of the
medication.
     It would appear that the private Insurance Companies are
now getting into a type of system that I call DRUG-CARE which
is similar to Managed Care in which the patient is told which
Physician to go to or which Hospital that they must use or
pay the difference out of their own pockets. If DRUG-CARE
does come about, then many small local Druggists will be
forced out of business.
     It does seem a form of robbery by the Druggist to charge
a fee of $6.11 to simply reach on the shelf and supply you
with a already prepackaged drug in which all he does is place
a label on it, he doesn't need to count it or get a mixing
bowel or grind up various chemicals and press them into pill
form.
     I guess someone has to pay for his Golf Club membership
like the Doctors, I guess the Undertaker will be next in line
for his cut as well.
 
 
--- Virtual Advanced Ver 2 for DOS 
The Dragon's Den    1:250/104,    a&m@to.org     Toronto, Ont. (416)744-8654
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