Quote Originally Posted by Irulan View Post
These kinds of plans, as wonderful as they are for those who have them, are part of the problem in that real costs are hidden. I mean, if you are paying $2400 a year for coverage, and a handful of change, that doesn't begin to cover the actual costs of checkups, regular visits, prescriptions etc for two people assuming you have regular type issues.... but then again, the system is so screwed up, who knows what things really cost, eh?

We were out to dinner a few weeks ago and one of the guys works for Big Pharma, regional sales rep or something. For some reason the conversation got on to health care costs, and he was saying it was so great that no one had to pay more than $5 for a prescription. I was all, "what planet do you live on?" He was, "you can get yours at Walmart for $5, right?"
Well, the answer is absolutely not. He didn't believe me at first but It's not on the list. My plans doesn't cover it, and it's $300/month at most box stores last time I checked. Thank God for Costco Pharmacy.
My husband works for the Federal Govt (Dept of the Navy as civil service, good luck figuring out what exactly the cost of the plan actually is. I do have pay a good portion of any lab work. It's somewhere between 40 and 50% for any lab work done. I know this because I know how expensive that can be without insurance. And my old doctor did what she could with not doing more than she had to with lab work then, and got me a discount by having it billed to the office instead of billed directly to me. Although I did see what the cost was before the deduction.) Our insurance is through an insurance company that is apparently only for govt employees and actually has very few doctors even in a military city that takes the coverage. The other insurance packages from other companies which are very similar in benefits are between $50 and $100 more per paycheck than the one we have. The one through Blue Cross Blue Shield is the most expensive and actually covers less, yet is the one my husband was told is the one most people opt to use.

I know you are correct about Walmart not carrying some prescriptions. They don't even carry the birth control I take, forget getting it for $5, you can't even get it there. Actually that prescription I pay more than $5 for anyway (well until that part of the ACA kicks in).