Hey, big pharma ( I’m talking to you Sackler family) quit colluding with my insurance company.
In a broken medical system, here’s just one small element.
Cigna, my insurance company seems to be happy to keep me stockpiled in opioids, eagerly renewing several post-surgery prescriptions for oxycodone over the past several weeks without blinking an eye.
In a country in the midst of an opioid addiction epidemic, handing out these little pills like Halloween candy gives new meaning to trick or treat.
Yet when my current surgeon ordered a very specific, non-opioid, non-narcotic ( re: non-addicting) anti-inflammatory pain reliever for me after my recent surgery it was flatly refused by my insurance company.
A day of discomfort and discussions with the doctor’s office as well as the hospital urging me to take this specific drug led me to speak to the pharmacist who had originally failed to mention the cost of the drug out of pocket which at this point I was more than happy to pay for whatever the cost.
Bracing myself for the possible $1,500 price tag, I did a double take when I was told it was only 15 bucks.
The price of two grande lattes.
This was clearly not an expensive drug, yet insurance would not pay for it.
And it has worked like a charm.