Check and see if you can use mail order prescriptions, that is usually less expensive.
Because of the YUGE disparity in pricing, my Rx plan has essentially forced members to get their āregularā medications via mail order, and this has been the case forā¦probablyā¦15 years. The only meds that I get directly from a local pharmacy are those that are of an emergent nature, such as antibiotics.
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Hence the reason we donāt use the local pharmacies. Iām guessing the local guys donāt have the staffing required to do all the paperwork stuff required by the insurance companies, nor the purchasing power to get the best prices.
I canāt say Iāve any major issues with the mail order service. But if I was on several medicines, I would really like to have the relationship with a local pharmacist. I have a feeling if you call the mail order providers, you probably get a customer service associate who gets all their knowledge from the computer, not from formal pharmacy education nor practical experience similar to the auto parts employees who have only the computer to tell them the correct part.
Everything is computerized.
Once the folks at your local pharmacy enter your Rx group number and your membership number, there is nothing else for them to do, other than to fill your prescription. The entry of those numbers into the database will generate all of the data necessary to determine that price that both you and your insurance company will pay.
I was thinking of potential drug interactions or side effects or how to take the drug, not just filling the order. When we used the local pharmacy, we actually had a real discussion with the pharmacist (imagine that!). A couple of times we got info that was emphasized or pertinent to our particular situation. If I had several chronic conditions or was on an extensive battery of drugs, I would really like to have the ear of a competent pharmacist.
By the way, how did we get from Consumer Reports top ten autos to prescription drugs??
I donāt know the answer to that question, but I can tell you that I have had productive conversationsāvia both telephone and e-mail-- with the pharmacists at my mail-order prescription source.
I got a Z pack a few weeks ago. My cost at Walgreens was $7.75. If I stood in line at Walmart it would have been $1. I refuse to deal with Walmart pharmacy. Iād rather deal with a local and it was on Sunday.
Walgreens has over 8000 stores. How can you consider them local? I think of them as a mega-chain just like CVS and Walmart.
Hi, could we please bring this back to cars? Thanks.
Well if we are mixing cars and pharmaceuticals, I have always wondered if there was ever a list of best ambulances. I mean they do get driven a lot and breaking down could be a real inconvenience.
Several questions here. I have seen reports claiming high carbon footprint for hybrids but an early and major one has been discredited after the the data behind it could not be independently verified and its author either wouldnāt or couldnāt produce quality sources and raw data, and others were merely derivative reports citing the original - he appeared to have made it all up. Any report worthy of a second look will either cite scientifically reproducible data from verifiable sources up front or the author will make information available upon request.
You should verify this yourself, but I believe one study of the carbon footprint of hybrid batteries achieved an unfavorable conclusion by only considering batteries from raw ore, completely ignoring that what most likely is the most energy intensive part of producing a new battery is refining the plate materials whereas once batteries are made those materials can be recycled may times at much lower energy cost. An honest approach would be to average the carbon footprint of producing the initial battery with that of the number of subsequent batteries that could be made using the recycled materials (allowing for makeup for losses). If the recycling losses of a material are small the average footprint will be much smaller (an example is aluminum), but similar reasoning applies to any metal found in an oxidized state, which includes just about all of them. Itās possible that in early production stages there may not be a sufficient quantity of recycled material, but as a new technology goes mainstream the availability of old units (batteries) increases and this will not be a problem, provided the recycling process is efficient.
Thatās my second favorite Pixar movie. And lets not forget that Click and Clack had small rolls in that movie also.
Carolyn asked, āHi, could we please bring this back to cars? Thanks.ā
OK, and Iāll bring it back to Consumer Reports Top 10 Vehicles.
Be very careful with recommendations and car reliability surveys.
From the horseās mouth, CR points out that using their magnified reliability ratings, says āModels that score a [icon showing lowest rating possible] are not necessarily unreliable.ā Iām here to tell you that is very true, over and over!
The most recent historical epic failure of survey results occurred when most surveys revealed that Mrs. Clinton would win the presidential election going away, some even predicted it as a landslide.
So, be careful. I almost believed that stuff after a while, but Iām glad I didnāt stay home. I cast my vote for the real winner, not predicted to win by the majority of surveys.
CSA
That is NOT the same as a reliability survey from CR. Not even close.
One is opinion (Clinton)ā¦the other is actual use (Car reliability). Itās like comparing Apples to Snow-Tires. Not even in the same ball park.
But I will agree that not all of CRās data is 100% reliable. I use it as ONE source. Not THEE source. On some of their vehicles their sample rate isnāt large enough to predict accurately. Computer modeling of large statistical data is very reliable. Companies rely heavily on that data to make accurate predictions on products they buy and sell.
There are other sources besides CR for vehicle reliability. Cars.com and Edmonds.com have their own system also. There are other indicatorsā¦like readily available parts. Cars that have a particular problem will have many aftermarket parts companies making replacement parts. Other vehicles that are very reliableā¦and a particular part failsā¦your only option is the dealer. Too low a failure rate for aftermarket companies to make a part.
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The data collected by CR comes from its subscribers. Now it is possible that non-subscribers treat their cars differently than subscribers, and would report different problems and satisfaction ratings.
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The problem I see is on some vehicles their data sample rate is too small to get an accurate rating. Bentley is one such vehicle.
CR reliability surveys certainly have limitations, but the basic trends seem to match up pretty well with othersā reports for problems. I just read an informal survey, asking folks to post about problem cars theyāve owned. Most common cars? Mini, Fiat, Jeep, Chrysler/Dodge. Worst on recent CR ratings? Pretty much the same.
Agree! I participate in the TrueDelta surveys and they come out pretty much the same as the CR reports! TrueDelta covers the more popular models for which there is enough data. So far, I believe there are over 40,000 participants where as CR had 250,00 or so readers reporting.
Likewise the JD Power long term (3 years) surveys reflect the same observations.