Chevrolet Engineering Retirees Club
DEALING WITH THE DRUG COVERAGE GAP OR “DONUT HOLE”
As many of you have heard, and possibly experienced, there may
come a time when if you need non generic drugs you may fall into
the “DONUT HOLE”. For those of you that may not be familiar with
the term it is the time when the actual full cost of prescriptions, not
the “co-pay price”, totals up to about $2,700 for any calendar year.
At that point you begin to pay full actual cost until you reach the
catastrophic cost of about $4,350 in a calendar year for your
combination of generic & non generic drugs.
My aim in writing this to relate my personal experiences in finding a
lesser cost option and still getting quality medications. I found an
article in the Sunday Aug 2nd Detroit Free Press that suggested
Canada as an option. I tried it out, found it not difficult, very cost
effective, and the round trip to Windsor took under three hours. My
personal savings for three prescriptions was about $400.00 for a
ninety day supply and that included the tunnel fees and the doctor’
s fee.
I contacted US Customs explained what I wanted to do and they
found no problem. I also contacted the pharmacy listed in the Free
Press article and they related the procedure required, the drug
costs, and availability. The following is required:
1. You must have written prescriptions from your personal
physician.
2. I found it easiest to bring the required cash in US dollars and
exchange it for Canadian at the money exchange before entering
the tunnel on the US side.
3. You then need to have your prescriptions co-signed by a
Canadian physician. In my case the doctor was in the same
building across the hall from the pharmacy. I needed no
appointment and the doctor charged $40.00 US dollars. His visit
took me about 20 minutes.
4. I then took the prescription across the hall and had it filled
with the exact drugs I would have purchased thru my drug plan.
5. It’s was again easy to stop and exchange any unused
Canadian bills back into US dollars at the money exchange before
leaving Canada.
The pharmacist was very knowledgeable and assured me all drugs
they handled were from reputable suppliers, and not from some
unknown source in China or elsewhere.
In checking the internet I also found sources that had even lower
prices but I felt it wasn’t worth the risk of dealing with what might be
a scam or non reputable source. I have also heard mail order drugs
being stopped by US customs. This type of purchase might lend
itself to credit card problems.
All in all I feel my saving was about $133.00 per hour. It was a
pleasant experience and as long as I fall into the “Donut Hole” I plan
on doing it again. This is my experience and is not necessarily an
endorsement or recommendation. My prescription plan is thru
AdvantraRx and Medco, other plans may vary slightly. For the
record I used the Hunter’s Pharmacy Ltd. Located at 3019
Tecumseh Rd. E. and their phone number is (519) 945-4333. The
Doctor’s name is Dr. Hammer, located in the same building as the
pharmacy. His phone number is (519) 945-4503.
Should you have any other questions on my experience see me at
the Oct. luncheon or give me a call at (586) 739-4488 Good luck.
Dick Verduyn
As many of you have heard, and possibly experienced, there may
come a time when if you need non generic drugs you may fall into
the “DONUT HOLE”. For those of you that may not be familiar with
the term it is the time when the actual full cost of prescriptions, not
the “co-pay price”, totals up to about $2,700 for any calendar year.
At that point you begin to pay full actual cost until you reach the
catastrophic cost of about $4,350 in a calendar year for your
combination of generic & non generic drugs.
My aim in writing this to relate my personal experiences in finding a
lesser cost option and still getting quality medications. I found an
article in the Sunday Aug 2nd Detroit Free Press that suggested
Canada as an option. I tried it out, found it not difficult, very cost
effective, and the round trip to Windsor took under three hours. My
personal savings for three prescriptions was about $400.00 for a
ninety day supply and that included the tunnel fees and the doctor’
s fee.
I contacted US Customs explained what I wanted to do and they
found no problem. I also contacted the pharmacy listed in the Free
Press article and they related the procedure required, the drug
costs, and availability. The following is required:
1. You must have written prescriptions from your personal
physician.
2. I found it easiest to bring the required cash in US dollars and
exchange it for Canadian at the money exchange before entering
the tunnel on the US side.
3. You then need to have your prescriptions co-signed by a
Canadian physician. In my case the doctor was in the same
building across the hall from the pharmacy. I needed no
appointment and the doctor charged $40.00 US dollars. His visit
took me about 20 minutes.
4. I then took the prescription across the hall and had it filled
with the exact drugs I would have purchased thru my drug plan.
5. It’s was again easy to stop and exchange any unused
Canadian bills back into US dollars at the money exchange before
leaving Canada.
The pharmacist was very knowledgeable and assured me all drugs
they handled were from reputable suppliers, and not from some
unknown source in China or elsewhere.
In checking the internet I also found sources that had even lower
prices but I felt it wasn’t worth the risk of dealing with what might be
a scam or non reputable source. I have also heard mail order drugs
being stopped by US customs. This type of purchase might lend
itself to credit card problems.
All in all I feel my saving was about $133.00 per hour. It was a
pleasant experience and as long as I fall into the “Donut Hole” I plan
on doing it again. This is my experience and is not necessarily an
endorsement or recommendation. My prescription plan is thru
AdvantraRx and Medco, other plans may vary slightly. For the
record I used the Hunter’s Pharmacy Ltd. Located at 3019
Tecumseh Rd. E. and their phone number is (519) 945-4333. The
Doctor’s name is Dr. Hammer, located in the same building as the
pharmacy. His phone number is (519) 945-4503.
Should you have any other questions on my experience see me at
the Oct. luncheon or give me a call at (586) 739-4488 Good luck.
Dick Verduyn
| Note from Dick Verduyn 8/29/2009 |
| Dealing with Drug Coverage Gap or Donut Hole |
| Email from Online Members |
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