Consumer-Directed Health Plan Thoughts for the day

Well, as an allergy suffered myself, and also the father of 4 young kids, 2 of whom also have allergies, here is my thought for the day. As I started waking up around 2 am this morning sneezing my brains out, I realized I had not taken my OTC CVS brand generic Zyrtec (Up and UP Brand)...45 Bills for 12 bucks folks.

I popped my med, tried to go back to sleep but could not as the med takes a couple of hours to be absorbed. Finally I stop sneezing, too late to fall asleep so I take on my day. I wait until 8:30am and call my family doctor, and get his kind nurse. I tell her my brains are popping out of my nose and that I need my Flonase refilled ASAP...quickly I catch myself, GENERIC Flonase that is, please make sure the doc fills with generic.

This move saved my 30 bucks, as the namebrand is WAY more than the generic and so is my out-of-pocket cost. But most folks would either not know to do this, or maybe get too lazy to even try generics. Well folks, the active ingredient in all generics are the same as namebrands, it can be other things that perhaps cause different side effects (the casing, i.e. makes your stomach upset for example)....I am no physician, but when it comes to "blindly" taking meds that docs write out on their pads, I always opt for generic as the costs are powerfully less. I am also always comparing Wal Mart, CVS, Costco just for starters, as they all have great Rx plans EVEN IF YOU HAVE NO INSURANCE. This in a nutshell is consumerism at its best, as these mega stors know consumer-directed health plans are here to stay, snagging ground, and are the only plans that will be affordable in the years to come for most of us. These mega stores also know the pharmaceutical industry is going to get it's own COLONOSCOPY with reform, and we will probably start seeing less Cialis commercials constantly throughout the day...yes those commercials translate in to costs for you at the CVS counter.

I wish I could scream from the rooftops as an entrepreneur, expert in the field of consumer-directed health care as well as industry veteran, and just plain old consumer...This is the only thing that will save the system, is us asking more questions, comparing costs, checking up on our own doctors etc...not OBAMANOMICS, NOT RAISING OUR COPAYS or passing on more of the employer's cost to employees, it is a shift in the buying and using decisions...there will always be folks to lazy to do so, or too adverse to change who will continue to erode healthcare in the U.S. but when CVS pharmacy's start using what is called a HARD EDIT, employees will start learning what I am talking about. A hard edit is when the CVS DENIES your brand name drug because your employer has chosen that option to demand dispensing generic meds, or you pay THE FULL COST OF THE BRAND NAME DRUG!! The are things that have been used for years for the biggest employers with the biggest budgets, and usually the biggest brains behind them...they have been 10 years ahead of what is happening now (or more)....welcome to the new world folks.

I will brain dump again soon -