Tamara L. Siuda, unplugged
(testing a new post)
Speaking of broken systems: I went to the pharmacy to pick up a tube of Voltaren, a painkiller for arthritis and other conditions delivered in gel form in a tube the size of a standard tube of toothpaste. Initially I was told my health insurance would not pay for the prescription. I told the pharmacist I would be happy to pay for it out of pocket as I had used it in the past and I know it is effective for managing my arthritis. (This past week, the pain in my hand became so unbearable that I honestly thought I had a fracture and went to have x-rays. Even the doctor wasn’t sure.)
The pharmacist insisted I did not want to pay a retail price, and suggested I pay $36 for a “prescription buyers club” membership to earn a discount. After purchase, I received the following in an emailed receipt:
A prescription costs 6,000USD, yet magically becomes available for only 27USD with a mandatory club membership paid to the pharmacy?
Incidentally, Voltaren gel is sold without a prescription in both Canada and the UK, where it costs around the same amount as my 27USD “discounted club pricing.”
In other news, I want to thank David Merfield, the creator of Blot, for reaching out to me after my last post and teaching me how to embed a photo in a post like this. I was very tickled to get his email, and am grateful for the personal instruction. How often do you get personal assistance from a website on how to use it? Many thanks.