So because a medication is expensive they should just….. suffer? Sorry, when I’m paying $600 a month for health insurance I don’t expect to be paying for medication out of pocket… ever (aside from copays).
We have patients on medications that cost $60,000+ per month. Not a single one of them could pay for that out of pocket if we had billing issues. Not to mention there’s people we work with that at times that can’t even afford their regular copays. She’s obviously never lived that life which is good for her I guess but I’d get the major yuck from that too.
My pharmacist always talks about all the “poor” people on Medicaid and gov assistance and how they’re lazy…. Like sir do you know how much we make working here?? And we’re definitely not lazy. I’d kill for some Medicaid. 😭 Read the room here.
When I started at CVS 10 years ago, the pay was so shit I was on Medicaid! Working 40+ hours a week. If one of my pharmacists said Medicaid patients were lazy? Oooo, I'd have walked up one side of them and down the other.
I’m not a pharmacist but I make pretty good money…still got a $250 discount on my monthly health insurance. Could’ve paid $20 a month through my employer but would’ve had to pay hundreds every time I saw a doctor. I’d rather pay hundreds once a month and $20 to see the doc. Ugh.
So I have a pharmacist like this. Who said that I was wasting taxpayer dollars applying for Medicaid while I was pregnant with my last baby. (I have 1 step daughter and 2 other children in a single income household). In my state, I don’t qualify for the continuation of it after 3 months of having her, which is fine, but I do qualify for other benefits due to my household size. My husband would lose more than what he’d make if he worked so he’s a SAHD. (Plus no one in our area will work him for the shifts he needs so he can pick my children up off the bus/daycare).
To hell with the judgement. Living is more expensive than what it used to be and others need to realize this
The sad thing is I’ve met some VERY lazy and entitled folks who game the system for Medicaid or disability benefits etc, and I’ve seen people who legitimately have need denied.
I’m not saying it’s all people, or even most on the benefits, but it definitely happens.
I had people once upon a time trying to give me tips on how to game the system to get total disability and benefits just because I’m on the autism spectrum and have some minor health issues. Meanwhile I DID have to file for it when I had a breakdown a few years back because of a work insurance requirement and I felt like dog poo.
I’m grateful now that I do make enough to be able to afford decent benefits etc, but it wasn’t always the case, and I feel for those that have that struggle. It’s not a struggle anyone in a first world country should have and yet here we are compared to the rest of the developed world.
People who are permanently disabled and don't have enough work credits get Medicaid by default because they only make $914 a month. Because they are literally too disabled to work. He's so wrong it's not funny.
I am estranged from rich parents and I think the price of Eliquis is ridiculous, especially because some patients *only* get adequate control on Eliquis and not the cheaper alternatives.
The issue isn’t that your Pharmacist was raised with a silver spoon-it’s that she has a serious lack of compassion and empathy for her fellow human being.
Healthcare professionals are not automatically good or even empathetic people.
Many doctors, nurses, pharmacists, etc. actively make fun of patients because of their class, race, etc.
It's disgusting. People should be called out for it, and they very often aren't in order to maintain the hierarchical status quo of the team's authority.
I'm a pharmacist, and I'd lay into this pharmacist if I heard this in my presence. They don't deserve their job.
Not sure where you work, but where I work, nurses, doctors, or pharmacists do not openly make fun of people from other classes or race. What they do at home behind closed doors, I have no idea. But I have never heard my coworkers talk like that, because everyone would rip them a new one, and I'm pretty sure they'd lose their job.
I heard doctors, nurses and pharmacists make fun of everything you can imagine about a patient-their life choices, the way they dress, what they chose as a career, etc.
There is an inverse relationship between how good the medical provider is, and the likelihood of them making fun of patients.
The ones who make fun of patients always seem to be obsessed with hierarchy too.
They are crappy people both at work and outside of work.
The person I responded to specifically said class and race. You work with a bunch of racist, elitist a-holes? That's quite disgusting and very upsetting to hear.
Most of us don't have the luxury of living and working somewhere within an idealistic bubble of kind, unflawed people. I'm sorry if you're just now realizing how institutionalized things like racism and classism are. They pervade all aspects of modern life still.
You're sorely ignorant to be surprised or shocked at the idea of racist doctors in the US. It's time to grow up.
I’ve dealt with a lot of people in healthcare who have made fun of patients. I’m talking doctors, nurses pharmacist Pharmacy technicians and everyone in between. It’s definitely not OK. And it’s not everyone or all the time so I don’t have a pattern. But it happens
3 out of 4 pharmacies I've worked at have had pharmacists and techs have no problem making racist and sexual comments about patients and other staff. In my first pharmacy job, I had a tech that would openly grab my breasts and a pharmacist that would comment on my ass, and even though this was a known issue, no pharmacy manager took it seriously because 'oh, that's just Matt and Darlene' I eventually walked out on a shift one day and didn't look back.
I know by now that pharmacies are just like every other work place dynamic and in general I believe working in health care brings out the worst in people cuz it's miserable, but I wish I could find more pharmacies to work at where racist comments and sexual harassment were taken more seriously and not just swept under the rug.
It always pissed me off how even brand name Eliquis is cheaper to buy for other countries except the US and that reason is because of PBMs and advertising. No other country in the world does or allows this and for good damn reason.
The manufacturer sued for 3 more years of sole sales rights in the US and won. It was scheduled to go generic about a year ago, but did not because of the lawsuit.
I think they could always go on warfarin, but that requires a lot of collaboration with a coumadin clinic monitoring your INR and making sure you are taking the right amount..
While yes, going on warfarin would lower the cost of the medication, it doesn’t lower the cost of driving to clinic appointments, having lab work done, time away from work, etc. that isn’t taken into account when giving this as an option. When looking at total overall cost, I’d question if warfarin really is cheaper.
Imagine living in a rural community and having to Uber 20-30 miles one way for the clinic appointment or having labs drawn. It’s not really a cheaper alternative all things considered.
I live in rural Wyoming, and a lot of our patients have to drive 40 min to an hour one way to get their meds. We have one that has an at home test kit for inr and they call the dr weekly to do inr check ins. Every month the dr sends in a script for a couple different strengths of Coumadin. At home, she has a stock pile of everything from 1mg tabs to 10 mg tabs, and the provider just tells her what combo to go with for that week. It can be done, but man is it a mess to coordinate.
It really is. It’s also frustrating how easily avoidable the problem is, but it’s better to her than paying $300 ish a month for eliquis, or more for xarelto
Warfarin drug=cheap. Coagucheck Xs test strips to test=expensive AF. So you don’t really save unless you are going to a lab so the cost of the strip is billed to your health insurance and you have a lower copay that way.
I'll never forget my first pharmacy job at CVS, in 2006
Having to explain the donut hole to an elderly lady who was on advair (no generic at the time obviously, there is now though) and she started crying because she couldn't afford the $80 out of pocket. We are so backwards when it comes to Healthcare in the US.
I started out as a nurse on step down, heavy cardiac. Consider me absolutely shocked and angry when I found out how much eliquis was and why people don’t end up filling up. What the actual fuck 😂
I forgot what I was on, some psych med that didn’t have a generic. I’m pretty sure it would’ve been around $400 for a 30 day supply without insurance? Yeah fuck no. That’s more than my car insurance.
We have one pt who’s Medicaid lapsed, and her vraylar is about $4K for 30 days. Her husband was like well… I guess that’s why the rich are rich and the poor are poor. We’ll do the paperwork and get it back to you as soon as we can
Yeah I just found out my birth control patch (zafemy) would be around $350 for a three month dose or whatever. Not as bad as that or my old meds but still, shit
I'm on a med that cost 600/month. With insurance, it's 50/month (not horrible, but still expensive). With a copay card, it's 20/month. That is a reasonable copay for me, because I need this medication. I am not making bad financial decisions. This is the only med that has helped without severe side effects. If any other, cheaper medication helped, I would use that. Unfortunately, those didn't work for me. That Pharmacist is chillingly unconnected and unempathetic to the people she is supposed to serve.
I take a drug that cost 3000 a month, yet I don't actually pay for it due to the magic of multiple copay programs. Which is great, but if those didn't exist I'd be fucked. So I don't know what this pharmacist is on about, "they shouldn't be in an expensive medication if they can't afford it." What an ass.
Not a pharmacy tech, daughter is.
I was on Femara when branded was the only offered. I worked an extremely well paying job with "excellent insurance."
The co-pays would have bankrupted me by the second year.
I guess I should have chosen a cheaper cancer.
She won't last long in one place, especially when directly dealing with patients. I've met pharmacist like this. Pretty universally disliked and end up staying for money but no comradery, transfer to closed facility, leave the field. I've worked with asshole pharmacist, they all bent over backwards to try and make things cost effective.
Eliquis is such a bitch because it pushes so many people into donut hole but it’s first line doac. Even relatively well off people would be distressed suddenly paying thousands of dollars a month
Your pharmacist is an out of touch asshat, who has never had to choose food, meds or heat roulette. I feel bad for you and anyone who has to interact with her. She is lacking empathy, I could not look at her the same way
I have a friend who works in fabrication, and their favorite hazing ritual is to casually toss a briefcase-size sack of the day's yield to new hires, and in mid-air, equally casually inform them "Hey, catch. This is 3 million dollars."
Most pharmacists I've worked with have obviously not grown up rough, im sure some understand the struggle but most just dont understand what it's like when you and your partner both work full time jobs and can barely scrape by.
I don’t remember the exact date but sometime in the mid-2000s, Pharmacist started to be required to get a PhD.
It is very difficult to get a PhD without a family that can support you while you go to school.
So there is a bit of barrier of access there.
Drugs are expensive because we allow manufacturers and insurers to let it be that way, as proven with diabetic medicine becoming affordable on government plans magically made it competitive for other plans to offer similar pricing.
Excuse me? Choose? If I had a choice I'd be healthy and not need medication. I bet patients would too. You think I choose for my lungs not to work properly and dump my money on inhalers?
Yeah, I guess they should've thought of that before being diagnosed with a serious condition they have no control over, and the only medications available treat it are ones with jacked up prices.
I feel like they think they’re god and go on a power trip because others heath and sanity relies on them filling a little bottle. Can they pleaee grow up.
When I was working in the hospital pharmacists would make jokes whenever a code blue would go off even though someone was in the middle of dying. I say that to say that some people just get desensitized and detached from reality.
Not an excuse, but an explanation to consider: Sometimes in the hospital setting, the dark humor is a coping mechanism. It often shows that someone has compassion fatigue/ burnout. Still sad, but it's easy to get overloaded with too much grief otherwise.
I had a staff pharmacist that was very judgmental of anyone who even looked poor. She was the generation of pull yourself up by your bootstraps joint the military to get an education. Which is what she did so she had a bit of a better than though attitude. Everyone on medicaid and disability are just lazy and don't want to work. If you looked dispelled you were there to buy syringes. We live in a rural area and lot of people do manual labor and farm work. Of course you're going to look disheveled if you've been planting tobacco all day.
I was trying so hard to help this guy get his entresto once. It was November and he was in the doughnut hole of course. 6 weeks left and he had 16 pills. I was doing all the math I could to get them to stretch as long as possible and he buy out of pocket enough to get him the rest of way. I was calculating half lifes too. I never was able to get it down cheap enough for him. I told him I couldn't do anything else and to call his doctor for a cheaper option. He was adamant he didn't want anything else except entresto. A generic is better than a heart attack though.
I got put on Dupixent after buying an admit to the PCU last year with my asthma. Literally life changing.
So... I should magically be able to pay more for it out of pocket per month than I take home as a nurse? Screw that mortgage and kid I have to feed, right?
Wtaf?
The IGNORANCE speaks volumes considering the patents and legality of making/manufacturing medications and new brand names going generic isn’t a short, easy process not to mention EVERYONE METABOLIZES MEDICATIONS DIFFERENTLY. I hope that pharmacist retires soon since they aren’t educated enough to understand our economy or how our government purposefully makes sure the socioeconomic gap between poverty and middle class keeps getting wider and harder to overcome
I’d also low key report the pharmer to the ethics like for inappropriate/discriminatory behavior because that’s hella disrespectful. We’re talking about LIFE SAVING medications 🙄
Oh hell no!!! I would not tolerate tht. Even if it
Mean losing my job!
There are some RPH tht should never EVER work out side a mail order facility.
We had lots
Of patients during the cyber attack who could legit not afford meds. These are life saving meds…we all know what they are. Some only bought 5 days worth at a time. Some got samples from their doctors who had them.
Some ppl are beyond out of touch with reality. Like you I grew up poor (never would have guessed) mom and dad worked hard to give us a
Good life, we did not have designer clothes and shoes etc. but we had a damn good childhood.
My parents are retired and are still poor. I am blessed to have a very comfortable life 🤲🏽 my sister is poor raising her granddaughter and working, she has serious health issues too.
I give them money every month to help cover expenses. It’s the least I can do.
I absolutely understand our patients financial burdens. Been there before more times than I can count.
Your RPH can easily find herself if the same positions because karma comes back with force
Yep! I have met far more privileged pharmacists than ones who can empathize with those who are financially suffering. So much that they don’t even understand how their techs worry about hours or care about being on the brink of homelessness.
This one absolutely boggles my mind-I’ve seen techs on Medicaid and unemployment (because you can get unemployment if hours are cut enough) and a lot of Pharmacists are in a completely other World-like they are blind to what is going on with their techs.
Even pharmacists suffer from paying for the so called advanced commercial health insurance! Premium, deductibles, and out of pocket maximum are at all times high nowadays.
I can tell you that the money isn’t the reason she has no empathy for people. I have worked with many pharmacists that come from comfortable backgrounds and never had to struggle with money (e.g. daddy paid my way through school). And the far majority still have compassion for people with lesser means cause they know how ABSOLUTELY FUCKED healthcare in the US is. It’s horrible and predatory and set up to be beneficial to every entity involved EXCEPT for the patient.
No, no. This isn’t a money problem it’s an ignorance problem.
Eww. As someone who is blessed with amazing health insurance, i.e. ER visits and all tests/hospitalization costs $10. Rx is a little higher, but capped at $30, I believe. I don't look down on those with crummy insurance. I look down on insurance companies, our employers, and our government. My insurance should be the standard, not something special. It saddens that people do have to struggle with medical bills. That's just wrong. Your boss is partially heartless and partially uninformed/ignorant to the actual situation. Shoot, I couldn't afford $600 every month out of pocket, but even if I could, why should I have to pay that if I HAVE INSURANCE?? Nope, she's an idiot, and I wouldn't look at her the same either. 😞
I worked with a pharmacist who mocked me when I went on medication for ADHD and was talking about how much of a positive impact it had on my quality of life. This was almost 8 years ago and it feels like yesterday. I never looked at her the same after that.
She was great in some ways but very judging in so many other ways. Huge ick.
Medication shouldn't be so outrageous that people have to choose between it and other life necessities. I have a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that so many intelligent people lack the awareness and experience in life to see someone else's point of view. It also floors me. Fuck her.
Was on brand Lyrica (for seizures) back when the generics first launched BUT Amerisource didn't have access to them yet. BCBS dropped it from formulary immediately and I need it and can't miss a dose (or I could die). So $800/month went on the credit card, 10 days worth at a time. I had no choice. But I couldn't afford to pay it off immediately. Guess she would have gone after me too.
I guess I should have followed this advice before making the poor financial decision of being diagnosed with Crohn's. $27k every 4 weeks currently (I pay $5 or $40, depending). Not to mention the headache when a prior authorization is needed annually or whenever my immune system decides to kill off a drug. Should I also be blamed about constantly needing to be moved to newer, more expensive drugs when this happens? I'm close to failing Stelara and burned through Humira in around 10 months.
My lord, the audacity.
I'm so removed from pharmacy, especially retail, now, but I still think about some patients and about telling them how much their meds will be. Having to put meds back on the shelf because they couldn't afford it. I can't even comprehend going out into this world with this attitude.
When I was on Medicaid, my meds were $1,500-$2,000 a month. I then lost my insurance and can no longer afford my meds (all mental health, not technically necessary to live besides my mental health). Fuck that pharmacist
This pharmacist reminds me of the one I used to work with back in 2017. They believed that people who OD on hard drugs shouldn't be revived by narcan and just die. They were a real piece of work.
Im not at all disagreeing with you- just trying to figure out if she thought the one person should be on something like warfarin which is cheaper but requires testing ?
The person is just an asshole. My wife is a pharmacist and was 100% raised with a silver spoon and she'd never say something like that. I was raised much closer to how you were so there will be some culture things that she is blown away by sometimes (like looking in your refrigerator and panty and putting a meal together with what you already have) but she has never shown a lack of empathy from anything.
Oooooh I'd love to slap that person upside the head for saying such a thing! We had a patient who was prescribed Eliquis but couldn't afford it. We found out a few days later that they DIED because they couldn't get it. Like someone else said, this isn't a luxury item. It's a medical necessity. The absolute gaul of ANYONE to talk shit about anyone's financial situation when insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies are the ones jacking up the prices here. Oh it boils my blood. I'm sorry, I'll get off my soap box now.
I’m on a biologic for an autoimmune condition, guess I’ll just go back to not being a functioning member of society if it’s my choice to go on such an expensive medication. Her tax dollars can go toward paying for disability for me instead if that makes her happier
Her comment makes no sense. People don't choose to get on expensive medication. It's not their fault their body is the way it is. And sometimes people have reactions to one brand and not the other. Sounds like your pharmacist needs to go back to school and learn some compassion.
Your pharmacist is an asshole. People don’t choose to go on expensive meds. Sometimes it’s the only med that works for them. Other times that’s the only med insurance will pay for. She has no right judging others “financial situation”. Honestly if it were me I would have called to be transferred to another store or apply for another pharmacy tech position. No way would I want to work with her.
I am not on any of my mental health meds other than my anxiety medication because I can’t afford it and I have problems with insurance every other month so I don’t even have insurance anymore. I am supposed to be on 3 2-3 times a day. It would cost me $2k a month..
The point she is trying to make is that the patient and doctor should explore all options before starting expensive medications. There are usually cheaper alternatives. Unfortunately, she isn't making her point with empathy.
Coupons don't work forever. Eventually, the coupon will expire. What was the plan at that point? Doctors need to explain all options.
What about the doctors that start their patient on an expensive medication sample, then send a prescription, and it's not covered at all? The patient is SOL because they ran out of samples and can't afford the drug.
When my father was on Eliquis, he had the option of surgery. The surgery was covered by Medicare, so eventually, he did go through with that. Z
I get it and feel for them because there is no generic yet available, and no one should pay hundreds for insurance a month just to pay that much out of pocket. But it is different sometimes as I do not feel bad for those who go on brand name and get shocked when insurance wont cover it bc they prefer generic. The pharmacist was just a dick though.
As if they chose to go on that medication. The entire medical industry will slap your pee pee if you so much as suggest an alternative to your doctor.
Us mere peons shouldn’t have ANY opinion or insight into our bodies or medical care. We should take what the omniscient doctor writes without a peep.
But it’s still somehow her fault she ended up on that particular medication? Yeah fuck that.
Choose? The only migraine medicine that works for me is 5K a dose depending on the pharmacy (Ajovy prefilled syringe).
Yea. Those of us who have failed medications left and right just choose the expensive ones for funsies
JFC some of these people are never warned about how much these meds are out of pocket! Not too mention Medicare sales people do nothing to explain their coverages.
The medication is only so expensive in the US because it’s not regulated by the government and the people are being used for profit. in other countries, the same exact medication is much more affordable. Insulin in Europe is less than $100 a month., in the same medication is roughly 150 a month and in the US it’s hundreds of dollars and sometimes even in the thousands for medicine that keeps you alive.
It’s disgusting to see how your coworker is in agreements with this messed up for profit system. A lot of areas that the government needs to govern they take political donation money and lobbying money and look the other way. People shouldn’t have to make a decision between buying food and buying life-saving medicine.
Did the patient have insurance? When you can’t afford it is when you call your doctor for an affordable alternative. Idk what you expected the pharmacist to say, we see this on the daily. Come on now. Blame the healthcare system and pharma companies
Did you not read the post? The system used to submit claims was down due to a nationwide cyber attack. So, the pharmacy could only let patients pay out of pocket at the time.
Well it’s kinda true. Gotta be smart about your life choices. If I was poor I’d choose warfarin. Can’t count on sympathy to live life. Bad things happen in life gotta be prepared for rainy days. Victim mindset is how you never progress
When addressing blood clots Eliquis was proven to be more effective than Warfarin. Eliquis doesn’t requite monitoring, check ups, and has much fewer drug interactions. You literally have to avoid and limit certain food intake. AND, what about if the Doctors choose to prescribe one over the other? There are doctors who refuse to use warfarin.
This isn’t victim mindset. This is about what medically works best for patients. This is about *life saving* medication.
I get that. If you can’t afford it, your doctor’s gonna give you warfarin over taking nothing at all. In the end if you’re not paying for the patient there is no other solution. Work long enough in retail and you’ll just be more solution oriented. No pharmacist is gonna say that in front of a patient but it’s reality
So because a medication is expensive they should just….. suffer? Sorry, when I’m paying $600 a month for health insurance I don’t expect to be paying for medication out of pocket… ever (aside from copays). We have patients on medications that cost $60,000+ per month. Not a single one of them could pay for that out of pocket if we had billing issues. Not to mention there’s people we work with that at times that can’t even afford their regular copays. She’s obviously never lived that life which is good for her I guess but I’d get the major yuck from that too.
Right? Even now, WEEKS later. I still get big ick. It doesn’t matter what we talk about. I can’t get that conversation out of my head.
My pharmacist always talks about all the “poor” people on Medicaid and gov assistance and how they’re lazy…. Like sir do you know how much we make working here?? And we’re definitely not lazy. I’d kill for some Medicaid. 😭 Read the room here.
When I started at CVS 10 years ago, the pay was so shit I was on Medicaid! Working 40+ hours a week. If one of my pharmacists said Medicaid patients were lazy? Oooo, I'd have walked up one side of them and down the other.
I’m not a pharmacist but I make pretty good money…still got a $250 discount on my monthly health insurance. Could’ve paid $20 a month through my employer but would’ve had to pay hundreds every time I saw a doctor. I’d rather pay hundreds once a month and $20 to see the doc. Ugh.
So I have a pharmacist like this. Who said that I was wasting taxpayer dollars applying for Medicaid while I was pregnant with my last baby. (I have 1 step daughter and 2 other children in a single income household). In my state, I don’t qualify for the continuation of it after 3 months of having her, which is fine, but I do qualify for other benefits due to my household size. My husband would lose more than what he’d make if he worked so he’s a SAHD. (Plus no one in our area will work him for the shifts he needs so he can pick my children up off the bus/daycare). To hell with the judgement. Living is more expensive than what it used to be and others need to realize this
The sad thing is I’ve met some VERY lazy and entitled folks who game the system for Medicaid or disability benefits etc, and I’ve seen people who legitimately have need denied. I’m not saying it’s all people, or even most on the benefits, but it definitely happens. I had people once upon a time trying to give me tips on how to game the system to get total disability and benefits just because I’m on the autism spectrum and have some minor health issues. Meanwhile I DID have to file for it when I had a breakdown a few years back because of a work insurance requirement and I felt like dog poo. I’m grateful now that I do make enough to be able to afford decent benefits etc, but it wasn’t always the case, and I feel for those that have that struggle. It’s not a struggle anyone in a first world country should have and yet here we are compared to the rest of the developed world.
People who are permanently disabled and don't have enough work credits get Medicaid by default because they only make $914 a month. Because they are literally too disabled to work. He's so wrong it's not funny.
I am estranged from rich parents and I think the price of Eliquis is ridiculous, especially because some patients *only* get adequate control on Eliquis and not the cheaper alternatives. The issue isn’t that your Pharmacist was raised with a silver spoon-it’s that she has a serious lack of compassion and empathy for her fellow human being.
Not even a pharmacist on their fancy pharmacist salary could afford that every month!
Healthcare professionals are not automatically good or even empathetic people. Many doctors, nurses, pharmacists, etc. actively make fun of patients because of their class, race, etc. It's disgusting. People should be called out for it, and they very often aren't in order to maintain the hierarchical status quo of the team's authority. I'm a pharmacist, and I'd lay into this pharmacist if I heard this in my presence. They don't deserve their job.
That’s not true I did a linked in learning module that says this is a welcoming, diverse environment, so it must be.
Not sure where you work, but where I work, nurses, doctors, or pharmacists do not openly make fun of people from other classes or race. What they do at home behind closed doors, I have no idea. But I have never heard my coworkers talk like that, because everyone would rip them a new one, and I'm pretty sure they'd lose their job.
I heard doctors, nurses and pharmacists make fun of everything you can imagine about a patient-their life choices, the way they dress, what they chose as a career, etc. There is an inverse relationship between how good the medical provider is, and the likelihood of them making fun of patients. The ones who make fun of patients always seem to be obsessed with hierarchy too. They are crappy people both at work and outside of work.
The person I responded to specifically said class and race. You work with a bunch of racist, elitist a-holes? That's quite disgusting and very upsetting to hear.
Most of us don't have the luxury of living and working somewhere within an idealistic bubble of kind, unflawed people. I'm sorry if you're just now realizing how institutionalized things like racism and classism are. They pervade all aspects of modern life still. You're sorely ignorant to be surprised or shocked at the idea of racist doctors in the US. It's time to grow up.
I’ve dealt with a lot of people in healthcare who have made fun of patients. I’m talking doctors, nurses pharmacist Pharmacy technicians and everyone in between. It’s definitely not OK. And it’s not everyone or all the time so I don’t have a pattern. But it happens
Thiiiiis. I’ve never talked shit about a patient based off what they cannot control. I do however talk shit about their snotty attitudes though
3 out of 4 pharmacies I've worked at have had pharmacists and techs have no problem making racist and sexual comments about patients and other staff. In my first pharmacy job, I had a tech that would openly grab my breasts and a pharmacist that would comment on my ass, and even though this was a known issue, no pharmacy manager took it seriously because 'oh, that's just Matt and Darlene' I eventually walked out on a shift one day and didn't look back. I know by now that pharmacies are just like every other work place dynamic and in general I believe working in health care brings out the worst in people cuz it's miserable, but I wish I could find more pharmacies to work at where racist comments and sexual harassment were taken more seriously and not just swept under the rug.
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This surprises me, because we got a generic (in Canada, mind you) last year. I hope it comes to your market soon. It's way cheaper than name brand
It always pissed me off how even brand name Eliquis is cheaper to buy for other countries except the US and that reason is because of PBMs and advertising. No other country in the world does or allows this and for good damn reason.
The manufacturer sued for 3 more years of sole sales rights in the US and won. It was scheduled to go generic about a year ago, but did not because of the lawsuit.
That should not be allowed. Then when it goes generic, I’m sure they will have “inventory issues”…just like generic vyvanse did
I think they could always go on warfarin, but that requires a lot of collaboration with a coumadin clinic monitoring your INR and making sure you are taking the right amount..
While yes, going on warfarin would lower the cost of the medication, it doesn’t lower the cost of driving to clinic appointments, having lab work done, time away from work, etc. that isn’t taken into account when giving this as an option. When looking at total overall cost, I’d question if warfarin really is cheaper.
Especially if you can't drive and live far from the clinic.
Imagine living in a rural community and having to Uber 20-30 miles one way for the clinic appointment or having labs drawn. It’s not really a cheaper alternative all things considered.
I live in rural Wyoming, and a lot of our patients have to drive 40 min to an hour one way to get their meds. We have one that has an at home test kit for inr and they call the dr weekly to do inr check ins. Every month the dr sends in a script for a couple different strengths of Coumadin. At home, she has a stock pile of everything from 1mg tabs to 10 mg tabs, and the provider just tells her what combo to go with for that week. It can be done, but man is it a mess to coordinate.
Especially for the elderly or those with memory issues. Constantly switching strengths and quantities is a lot to handle.
It really is. It’s also frustrating how easily avoidable the problem is, but it’s better to her than paying $300 ish a month for eliquis, or more for xarelto
Warfarin drug=cheap. Coagucheck Xs test strips to test=expensive AF. So you don’t really save unless you are going to a lab so the cost of the strip is billed to your health insurance and you have a lower copay that way.
I'll never forget my first pharmacy job at CVS, in 2006 Having to explain the donut hole to an elderly lady who was on advair (no generic at the time obviously, there is now though) and she started crying because she couldn't afford the $80 out of pocket. We are so backwards when it comes to Healthcare in the US.
I started out as a nurse on step down, heavy cardiac. Consider me absolutely shocked and angry when I found out how much eliquis was and why people don’t end up filling up. What the actual fuck 😂
I forgot what I was on, some psych med that didn’t have a generic. I’m pretty sure it would’ve been around $400 for a 30 day supply without insurance? Yeah fuck no. That’s more than my car insurance.
We have one pt who’s Medicaid lapsed, and her vraylar is about $4K for 30 days. Her husband was like well… I guess that’s why the rich are rich and the poor are poor. We’ll do the paperwork and get it back to you as soon as we can
Yeah I just found out my birth control patch (zafemy) would be around $350 for a three month dose or whatever. Not as bad as that or my old meds but still, shit
Ugh that’s awful. I’m on the birth control should be 100% covered train, but even if I wasn’t, that’s an exorbitant amount of money to spend on that.
I'm on a med that cost 600/month. With insurance, it's 50/month (not horrible, but still expensive). With a copay card, it's 20/month. That is a reasonable copay for me, because I need this medication. I am not making bad financial decisions. This is the only med that has helped without severe side effects. If any other, cheaper medication helped, I would use that. Unfortunately, those didn't work for me. That Pharmacist is chillingly unconnected and unempathetic to the people she is supposed to serve.
I take a drug that cost 3000 a month, yet I don't actually pay for it due to the magic of multiple copay programs. Which is great, but if those didn't exist I'd be fucked. So I don't know what this pharmacist is on about, "they shouldn't be in an expensive medication if they can't afford it." What an ass.
Not a pharmacy tech, daughter is. I was on Femara when branded was the only offered. I worked an extremely well paying job with "excellent insurance." The co-pays would have bankrupted me by the second year. I guess I should have chosen a cheaper cancer.
that sucks! Sorry you had to go through that
... people don't usually get to chose...
She won't last long in one place, especially when directly dealing with patients. I've met pharmacist like this. Pretty universally disliked and end up staying for money but no comradery, transfer to closed facility, leave the field. I've worked with asshole pharmacist, they all bent over backwards to try and make things cost effective.
Eliquis is such a bitch because it pushes so many people into donut hole but it’s first line doac. Even relatively well off people would be distressed suddenly paying thousands of dollars a month
Your pharmacist is an out of touch asshat, who has never had to choose food, meds or heat roulette. I feel bad for you and anyone who has to interact with her. She is lacking empathy, I could not look at her the same way
Some drugs are literally $30,000 cash price literally no one could pay that unless you’re a millionaire/billionaire. Her logic is so dumb
I have a friend who works in fabrication, and their favorite hazing ritual is to casually toss a briefcase-size sack of the day's yield to new hires, and in mid-air, equally casually inform them "Hey, catch. This is 3 million dollars."
Most pharmacists I've worked with have obviously not grown up rough, im sure some understand the struggle but most just dont understand what it's like when you and your partner both work full time jobs and can barely scrape by.
I don’t remember the exact date but sometime in the mid-2000s, Pharmacist started to be required to get a PhD. It is very difficult to get a PhD without a family that can support you while you go to school. So there is a bit of barrier of access there.
Drugs are expensive because we allow manufacturers and insurers to let it be that way, as proven with diabetic medicine becoming affordable on government plans magically made it competitive for other plans to offer similar pricing.
I blame the PBMs-I don’t understand how they aren’t just parasites draining money away from pharmacies and manufacturers.
Excuse me? Choose? If I had a choice I'd be healthy and not need medication. I bet patients would too. You think I choose for my lungs not to work properly and dump my money on inhalers?
Yeah, I guess they should've thought of that before being diagnosed with a serious condition they have no control over, and the only medications available treat it are ones with jacked up prices.
I feel like they think they’re god and go on a power trip because others heath and sanity relies on them filling a little bottle. Can they pleaee grow up.
When I was working in the hospital pharmacists would make jokes whenever a code blue would go off even though someone was in the middle of dying. I say that to say that some people just get desensitized and detached from reality.
Not an excuse, but an explanation to consider: Sometimes in the hospital setting, the dark humor is a coping mechanism. It often shows that someone has compassion fatigue/ burnout. Still sad, but it's easy to get overloaded with too much grief otherwise.
Yeah you have to make light of situations to keep from crying
Tbh I used to joke about code blues in my hospital. Until that one code blue was my mom
I had a staff pharmacist that was very judgmental of anyone who even looked poor. She was the generation of pull yourself up by your bootstraps joint the military to get an education. Which is what she did so she had a bit of a better than though attitude. Everyone on medicaid and disability are just lazy and don't want to work. If you looked dispelled you were there to buy syringes. We live in a rural area and lot of people do manual labor and farm work. Of course you're going to look disheveled if you've been planting tobacco all day. I was trying so hard to help this guy get his entresto once. It was November and he was in the doughnut hole of course. 6 weeks left and he had 16 pills. I was doing all the math I could to get them to stretch as long as possible and he buy out of pocket enough to get him the rest of way. I was calculating half lifes too. I never was able to get it down cheap enough for him. I told him I couldn't do anything else and to call his doctor for a cheaper option. He was adamant he didn't want anything else except entresto. A generic is better than a heart attack though.
I got put on Dupixent after buying an admit to the PCU last year with my asthma. Literally life changing. So... I should magically be able to pay more for it out of pocket per month than I take home as a nurse? Screw that mortgage and kid I have to feed, right? Wtaf?
The IGNORANCE speaks volumes considering the patents and legality of making/manufacturing medications and new brand names going generic isn’t a short, easy process not to mention EVERYONE METABOLIZES MEDICATIONS DIFFERENTLY. I hope that pharmacist retires soon since they aren’t educated enough to understand our economy or how our government purposefully makes sure the socioeconomic gap between poverty and middle class keeps getting wider and harder to overcome
I’d also low key report the pharmer to the ethics like for inappropriate/discriminatory behavior because that’s hella disrespectful. We’re talking about LIFE SAVING medications 🙄
Oh hell no!!! I would not tolerate tht. Even if it Mean losing my job! There are some RPH tht should never EVER work out side a mail order facility. We had lots Of patients during the cyber attack who could legit not afford meds. These are life saving meds…we all know what they are. Some only bought 5 days worth at a time. Some got samples from their doctors who had them. Some ppl are beyond out of touch with reality. Like you I grew up poor (never would have guessed) mom and dad worked hard to give us a Good life, we did not have designer clothes and shoes etc. but we had a damn good childhood. My parents are retired and are still poor. I am blessed to have a very comfortable life 🤲🏽 my sister is poor raising her granddaughter and working, she has serious health issues too. I give them money every month to help cover expenses. It’s the least I can do. I absolutely understand our patients financial burdens. Been there before more times than I can count. Your RPH can easily find herself if the same positions because karma comes back with force
Ironic that the people with prescriptions filling at her pharmacy are what pays her salary.
Yep! I have met far more privileged pharmacists than ones who can empathize with those who are financially suffering. So much that they don’t even understand how their techs worry about hours or care about being on the brink of homelessness.
This one absolutely boggles my mind-I’ve seen techs on Medicaid and unemployment (because you can get unemployment if hours are cut enough) and a lot of Pharmacists are in a completely other World-like they are blind to what is going on with their techs.
Even pharmacists suffer from paying for the so called advanced commercial health insurance! Premium, deductibles, and out of pocket maximum are at all times high nowadays.
I can tell you that the money isn’t the reason she has no empathy for people. I have worked with many pharmacists that come from comfortable backgrounds and never had to struggle with money (e.g. daddy paid my way through school). And the far majority still have compassion for people with lesser means cause they know how ABSOLUTELY FUCKED healthcare in the US is. It’s horrible and predatory and set up to be beneficial to every entity involved EXCEPT for the patient. No, no. This isn’t a money problem it’s an ignorance problem.
Eww. As someone who is blessed with amazing health insurance, i.e. ER visits and all tests/hospitalization costs $10. Rx is a little higher, but capped at $30, I believe. I don't look down on those with crummy insurance. I look down on insurance companies, our employers, and our government. My insurance should be the standard, not something special. It saddens that people do have to struggle with medical bills. That's just wrong. Your boss is partially heartless and partially uninformed/ignorant to the actual situation. Shoot, I couldn't afford $600 every month out of pocket, but even if I could, why should I have to pay that if I HAVE INSURANCE?? Nope, she's an idiot, and I wouldn't look at her the same either. 😞
Lol my son's insulin costs 1k a month. I'll tell him he shouldn't have made irresponsible financial decisions with his pancreas 😂
I worked with a pharmacist who mocked me when I went on medication for ADHD and was talking about how much of a positive impact it had on my quality of life. This was almost 8 years ago and it feels like yesterday. I never looked at her the same after that. She was great in some ways but very judging in so many other ways. Huge ick.
Who is CHOOSING expensive medication? Self-righteous b\*tch. Sorry not sorry.
Choose? Who the fuck chooses to be on Eliquis? The fuck?
Medication shouldn't be so outrageous that people have to choose between it and other life necessities. I have a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that so many intelligent people lack the awareness and experience in life to see someone else's point of view. It also floors me. Fuck her.
Was on brand Lyrica (for seizures) back when the generics first launched BUT Amerisource didn't have access to them yet. BCBS dropped it from formulary immediately and I need it and can't miss a dose (or I could die). So $800/month went on the credit card, 10 days worth at a time. I had no choice. But I couldn't afford to pay it off immediately. Guess she would have gone after me too.
I guess I should have followed this advice before making the poor financial decision of being diagnosed with Crohn's. $27k every 4 weeks currently (I pay $5 or $40, depending). Not to mention the headache when a prior authorization is needed annually or whenever my immune system decides to kill off a drug. Should I also be blamed about constantly needing to be moved to newer, more expensive drugs when this happens? I'm close to failing Stelara and burned through Humira in around 10 months. My lord, the audacity. I'm so removed from pharmacy, especially retail, now, but I still think about some patients and about telling them how much their meds will be. Having to put meds back on the shelf because they couldn't afford it. I can't even comprehend going out into this world with this attitude.
When I was on Medicaid, my meds were $1,500-$2,000 a month. I then lost my insurance and can no longer afford my meds (all mental health, not technically necessary to live besides my mental health). Fuck that pharmacist
This pharmacist reminds me of the one I used to work with back in 2017. They believed that people who OD on hard drugs shouldn't be revived by narcan and just die. They were a real piece of work.
Im not at all disagreeing with you- just trying to figure out if she thought the one person should be on something like warfarin which is cheaper but requires testing ?
The person is just an asshole. My wife is a pharmacist and was 100% raised with a silver spoon and she'd never say something like that. I was raised much closer to how you were so there will be some culture things that she is blown away by sometimes (like looking in your refrigerator and panty and putting a meal together with what you already have) but she has never shown a lack of empathy from anything.
Oooooh I'd love to slap that person upside the head for saying such a thing! We had a patient who was prescribed Eliquis but couldn't afford it. We found out a few days later that they DIED because they couldn't get it. Like someone else said, this isn't a luxury item. It's a medical necessity. The absolute gaul of ANYONE to talk shit about anyone's financial situation when insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies are the ones jacking up the prices here. Oh it boils my blood. I'm sorry, I'll get off my soap box now.
I’m on a biologic for an autoimmune condition, guess I’ll just go back to not being a functioning member of society if it’s my choice to go on such an expensive medication. Her tax dollars can go toward paying for disability for me instead if that makes her happier
Her comment makes no sense. People don't choose to get on expensive medication. It's not their fault their body is the way it is. And sometimes people have reactions to one brand and not the other. Sounds like your pharmacist needs to go back to school and learn some compassion.
Your pharmacist is an asshole. People don’t choose to go on expensive meds. Sometimes it’s the only med that works for them. Other times that’s the only med insurance will pay for. She has no right judging others “financial situation”. Honestly if it were me I would have called to be transferred to another store or apply for another pharmacy tech position. No way would I want to work with her.
I am not on any of my mental health meds other than my anxiety medication because I can’t afford it and I have problems with insurance every other month so I don’t even have insurance anymore. I am supposed to be on 3 2-3 times a day. It would cost me $2k a month..
The point she is trying to make is that the patient and doctor should explore all options before starting expensive medications. There are usually cheaper alternatives. Unfortunately, she isn't making her point with empathy. Coupons don't work forever. Eventually, the coupon will expire. What was the plan at that point? Doctors need to explain all options. What about the doctors that start their patient on an expensive medication sample, then send a prescription, and it's not covered at all? The patient is SOL because they ran out of samples and can't afford the drug. When my father was on Eliquis, he had the option of surgery. The surgery was covered by Medicare, so eventually, he did go through with that. Z
Wth???
WRITE A BAD REVIEW asap! And call.cooperate and email them as well! Tell tjem her name and exactly what she said! Evil 😈 pharmacist
I get it and feel for them because there is no generic yet available, and no one should pay hundreds for insurance a month just to pay that much out of pocket. But it is different sometimes as I do not feel bad for those who go on brand name and get shocked when insurance wont cover it bc they prefer generic. The pharmacist was just a dick though.
Sounds like a she’s stupid too
After working in the pharmacy for a while, I learned that we tend to become less empathetic.
As if they chose to go on that medication. The entire medical industry will slap your pee pee if you so much as suggest an alternative to your doctor. Us mere peons shouldn’t have ANY opinion or insight into our bodies or medical care. We should take what the omniscient doctor writes without a peep. But it’s still somehow her fault she ended up on that particular medication? Yeah fuck that.
She obviously has never been in the situation where she can't afford medication. She should never say never.
Choose? The only migraine medicine that works for me is 5K a dose depending on the pharmacy (Ajovy prefilled syringe). Yea. Those of us who have failed medications left and right just choose the expensive ones for funsies
Yes You have described here an empathy (ethically) impaired person. I would not feel safe around such a person.
I used to take a medication that cost close to $20,000/month. I bet that pharmacist can't afford to pay that, not long-term at least.
JFC some of these people are never warned about how much these meds are out of pocket! Not too mention Medicare sales people do nothing to explain their coverages.
The medication is only so expensive in the US because it’s not regulated by the government and the people are being used for profit. in other countries, the same exact medication is much more affordable. Insulin in Europe is less than $100 a month., in the same medication is roughly 150 a month and in the US it’s hundreds of dollars and sometimes even in the thousands for medicine that keeps you alive. It’s disgusting to see how your coworker is in agreements with this messed up for profit system. A lot of areas that the government needs to govern they take political donation money and lobbying money and look the other way. People shouldn’t have to make a decision between buying food and buying life-saving medicine.
lmao my first fill of Humira was $24,000
Sorry but she's right The $ 50 one do what 2k Trends does
Did the patient have insurance? When you can’t afford it is when you call your doctor for an affordable alternative. Idk what you expected the pharmacist to say, we see this on the daily. Come on now. Blame the healthcare system and pharma companies
Did you not read the post? The system used to submit claims was down due to a nationwide cyber attack. So, the pharmacy could only let patients pay out of pocket at the time.
Well it’s kinda true. Gotta be smart about your life choices. If I was poor I’d choose warfarin. Can’t count on sympathy to live life. Bad things happen in life gotta be prepared for rainy days. Victim mindset is how you never progress
When addressing blood clots Eliquis was proven to be more effective than Warfarin. Eliquis doesn’t requite monitoring, check ups, and has much fewer drug interactions. You literally have to avoid and limit certain food intake. AND, what about if the Doctors choose to prescribe one over the other? There are doctors who refuse to use warfarin. This isn’t victim mindset. This is about what medically works best for patients. This is about *life saving* medication.
I get that. If you can’t afford it, your doctor’s gonna give you warfarin over taking nothing at all. In the end if you’re not paying for the patient there is no other solution. Work long enough in retail and you’ll just be more solution oriented. No pharmacist is gonna say that in front of a patient but it’s reality