Filling of prescriptions is harder with insurer's action

[discocrisco01]

Source: Associated Press


CHICAGO (AP) — A December decision by insurer Aetna to drop Walgreens from its Illinois Medicaid plan is making it harder for thousands of low-income Chicago residents to get their prescriptions filled.

The Chicago Tribune reports Aetna’s decision to exclude the Walgreens chain from its Aetna Better Health of Illinois pharmacy network affects about 400,000 state residents. Many of them are poor and critics say they are already disproportionately those suffering from COVID-19 and unemployment.

In a written statement, Aetna, which owns Walgreens’ rival CVS, responded it has nearly 2,000 in-network pharmacies statewide for Medicaid members, including independent pharmacies and those in national and regional chains such as Walmart and Jewel-Osco.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/chicago-health-coronavirus-pandemic-illinois-medicaid-17eaaf1baeb4c3b78d71d6fa71ad5f30

[yardwork]

1. I don't think insurers should be allowed to own pharmacies.

This is an obvious monopoly.

[elleng]

7. Right, anti-trust violation.

[Sinistrous]

2. I guess I was right to stop patronizing CVS.

I got po'ed when CVS stopped carrying several name products I had been buying and replaced them with their junk quality store brands.

[safeinOhio]

3. I found a very nice Independent local drug store.

They are worth the extra nickel.

[ananda]

4. I don't have a choice.

CVS is part of my plan.

[FormerOstrich]

5. Walgreens is expensive

While I think it is shitty....and I agree that owning a pharmacy is questionable

The Walgreen's near me usually charges way more than any other pharmacy for prescriptions. Over the years, depending on which plan I was on, I found them to be not just a little higher but exponentially higher.

Costco usually has the best but limited on insurance plans. A trip to Mexico is probably not a good idea now but usually lower cost than US.

[airplaneman]

12. I agree Walgreens is way too expensive

One of my prescriptions
Costco $40
Walgreens $200
And I had to use Walgreens one time.
-Airplane

[elleng]

6. Anti-trust violation, among other things.

[Pobeka]

9. I believe health insurers are exempt from anti-trust.

I read about that a few years ago and it was jaw dropping and explained a whole lot of why our health care is so expensive.

If I'm wrong about that -- anyone reading this please correct me.

[elleng]

10. You may be correct;

'health insurers' not my area of expertise, but this example sure cries out for DELETING any such exemption.

Used to be that 'health care' was not a profit-seeking industry.

[Pobeka]

11. I'm so old I remember when health insurance was very affordable.

Then HMO's were going to save us in the 1990's.
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Now, with the ACA, insurers get a capped maximum % profit. So, it's to their benefit to have the base cost go dramatically up, because their % is levied against a higher base. The more they actively work to drive up the base cost, the more their profit.

[gab13by13]

8. I read where Big Pharma,

was raising the prices on 300 prescription drugs this year.

We did get a 1.3% increase on Social Security, don't know if Medicare costs went up.

[TryLogic]

13. The bottom line for Big Pharma is the bottom line.

Their morality resembles that of the tobacco industry.