posted
After returning my 230$ bicillin shots last week because the Pharmacist said he could get it cheaper and through my insurance... I have been DENIED...
Now I feel I got hit really hard. I gave back my bicillin (10 shots for $230.00) and thought that I would be getting my insurance to cover them... as My Pharmacist said.
Not Only am I NOT getting my bicillin covered, BUT when I said I would buy them back they said they had made a mistake with the price and it would now cost me $619.00 and not the $230.00 I originally paid... I about LOST it. I almost felt like they had told me to return them for refund and would help with the insurance because they realized they made a mistake in the first place. Than knowing my insurance WOULDNT cover them I would HAVE to pay the 619 dollars.
I am so upset... the only thing is they gave me two Bicillin shots for free last week... I am also wondering if that was their way of buttering me up for all of this BS.
And when I called my insurance to see what was happening, they told me there was nothing on file that ANYONE had been trying to put in a PA or anything for the Bicillin. My Pharmacy said they and Dr H's office were in contact with my insurance ALL week and were waiting for approval.
I am so upset... I am sick and now I cant even get the abx I need to try and get better.
So I am now on Zith MWF and Plaquenil, and of course supplements...
I dont know WHAT I am going to do and I cant get in touch with anyone at my Doc's office.
Sick of ALL of this....Sick of not knowing if I REALLY even have lyme disease, sick of being sick everyday with no good days ever, sick of EVERYTHING and about to give up...
-------------------- "You'll be surprised to know how far you can go from the point you thought it was the end" Posts: 946 | From Massachusetts | Registered: Apr 2008
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posted
I had similar problem with Lyrica, and then had to talk to the insurance directly - who then asked me to tell Dr. H's office to fax the request directly to them. The pharmacy would really unaware about anything - what to do, or what the problem was. finally things worked out - took about 3 wks for the problem to get cleared. It was mainly because they wanted me to try generic stuff before going to the expensive lyrica - ofcourse I had tried it. -Radha
Posts: 46 | From Cambridge, MA | Registered: Feb 2006
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posted
Sorry you had the same experience... I hope my situation works out
-------------------- "You'll be surprised to know how far you can go from the point you thought it was the end" Posts: 946 | From Massachusetts | Registered: Apr 2008
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Tracy9
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7521
posted
I thought it was ILLEGAL for a pharmacy to take back a medicine that had been dispensed? They can't legally re sell it, because they can't prove you kept it refridgerated, etc.....so what the heck did they do with what you returned?
I think I would look into whatever body governs pharmacies and file a complaint. This is highly suspect. I would also call the pharm and ask what they did with the shots you returned????? By law they had to dispose of them.
13 years Lyme & Co.; Small Fiber Neuropathy; Myasthenia Gravis, Adrenal Insufficiency. On chemo for 2 1/2 years as experimental treatment for MG. Posts: 4480 | From Northeastern Connecticut | Registered: Jun 2005
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Right after I picked up the shots and brought them home (put them in refrigerator) They had called me to have me return them, with false hopes of them "helping" me get lowered cost or insurance approval.. This turned out to be BS...
I am so ****ed!! But they did give me two free shots which also makes me even more suspect about the fact that they were BS'in me.
I should make a complaint though... They should give me back the shots for 230$ like I paid in the first place.
What do you think??? I wish there was some way to sort all of this out.
Your right though, and I dont know WHAT they did with it????
-------------------- "You'll be surprised to know how far you can go from the point you thought it was the end" Posts: 946 | From Massachusetts | Registered: Apr 2008
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Tracy9
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7521
posted
If they thought they could get it covered through your insurance, they did not need the shots back, all they had to do was bill it through your ins and reimburse.
PHARMACIES DO THIS ALL THE TIME.
I have paid for something while awaiting approval, then gotten reimbursed.
It is completely ILLEGAL to take back something that has been dispensed. They cannot RESELL it. I would 100% report this to the attorney general's office.
You might start by talking to the manager of the pharmacy with your story, and letting him know you are reporting this to the attorney general's office, as it is illegal to resell any prescription that has been out of the store's hands.
To start, call them from another phone and ask innocnetly if you can return a medicine (say insulin shots) that you realize you don't need, and I bet they will tell you it's illegal to do so. Or better yet, call another pharmacy and ask the question.
In fact, call a few, and google the laws. I bet you can scare the crap out of this pharmacy. Maybe they will rethink the price.
I bet the manager doesn't even know this is going on and someone tried to cover thier butt.
13 years Lyme & Co.; Small Fiber Neuropathy; Myasthenia Gravis, Adrenal Insufficiency. On chemo for 2 1/2 years as experimental treatment for MG. Posts: 4480 | From Northeastern Connecticut | Registered: Jun 2005
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bejoy
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 11129
posted
How about checking into the bicillin substitute that you can get from oversees in a dehydrated form. I hear it is very inexpensive and works just as well. I read about this on a post titled bicillin sources, I think.
-------------------- bejoy!
"Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." -Ralph Waldo Emerson Posts: 1918 | From Alive and Well! | Registered: Feb 2007
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WHen I called today and told them they were trying to SAVE their own behinds and it wasnt right that now I would have to pay 600 dollars and not CHEAPER or thorugh the insurance , they told me they were only looking out for my BEST interest... YEAH RIGHT!
I am calling again... mmm hmmm..
Thank you Bejoy!!! I will look
-------------------- "You'll be surprised to know how far you can go from the point you thought it was the end" Posts: 946 | From Massachusetts | Registered: Apr 2008
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Tracy9
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7521
posted
WHAT THEY DID IS COMPLETELY ILLEGAL!!!
I looked it up; it is illegal for a pharmacy to take back any medication and offer a refund. Yes, that IN AND OF itself is illegal.
"federal laws prohibit a dispensed prescription from being returned to the pharmacy for refund, mainly due to regulations that address safety concerns (reuse, specifically)."
YOU CAN SUE THEM, but you really should report this to the atty general's office! They are going to be in a lot of trouble!!!!
13 years Lyme & Co.; Small Fiber Neuropathy; Myasthenia Gravis, Adrenal Insufficiency. On chemo for 2 1/2 years as experimental treatment for MG. Posts: 4480 | From Northeastern Connecticut | Registered: Jun 2005
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Tracy9
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
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posted
Current federal policy:
* The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Compliance Policy Guide states that pharmacists should not return drug products to stock once they have been out of their possession.
13 years Lyme & Co.; Small Fiber Neuropathy; Myasthenia Gravis, Adrenal Insufficiency. On chemo for 2 1/2 years as experimental treatment for MG. Posts: 4480 | From Northeastern Connecticut | Registered: Jun 2005
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posted
Thank you sooo much Tracy, Joey is calling RIGHT now!!!
-------------------- "You'll be surprised to know how far you can go from the point you thought it was the end" Posts: 946 | From Massachusetts | Registered: Apr 2008
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Tracy9
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7521
Check this out, Massachusetts Laws on Pharmacies. Couldn't go though it all, but here is where you can call tomorrow to complain. This is the board that licenses pharmacies.
13 years Lyme & Co.; Small Fiber Neuropathy; Myasthenia Gravis, Adrenal Insufficiency. On chemo for 2 1/2 years as experimental treatment for MG. Posts: 4480 | From Northeastern Connecticut | Registered: Jun 2005
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From what I understand most people don't get their bicillin covered - I pay out of pocket but it's not $600!
FYI I get 10 syringes for $289.99.
Is this a chain pharmacy or a privately owned pharmacy?
If it's a chain I would definitely contact their coporate office.
I did that last year with a big chain parmacy b/c they sucked and I got an apology letter and a $25.00 gift card...
-------------------- "We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us" - e.m. forster Posts: 921 | From PA | Registered: Jan 2004
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posted
Joey Just got off the phone with the Manager of WalGreens...
They covered their asses real good, I dont have a reciept because they took it back..... I was in a fog.. what can I say.
The manager basically said he was on vacation when this happened and there is nothing he can do...
When Joey brought up the fact that it is illegal for them to take back already dispensed meds he got all nervous, and than Joey said he was contacting the Attourney General
Well.. He got all huffy and said that "We gave her 2 free shots and we took a loss for that".... Joey said YEAH and what about the fact that I now have to pay 2x more than what we paid... The first quote was 170$ so YOU screwed up 3 times on the price. She could have had a WHOLE month of Bicillin here. Now we have NO Bicillin , NO insurance covereage, NO lowered price like was said and NOW we have to pay 619$ to get it....
he kept being an *** so Joey said thank you sir and we will be calling the Attourney General have a nice day!... CLICK
They screwed us so bad and I was too sick and foggy brained to do ANYTHING about it when it was happening.
OH well... I need a new pharmacy and a new prescription... I CANNOT afford it.
-------------------- "You'll be surprised to know how far you can go from the point you thought it was the end" Posts: 946 | From Massachusetts | Registered: Apr 2008
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Tracy9
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posted
Ugh, I feel so bad; I have NO trouble at all getting my Bicillin covered, and I have Medicaid. Evidently my state is pretty darned good with their Medicaid plan.
13 years Lyme & Co.; Small Fiber Neuropathy; Myasthenia Gravis, Adrenal Insufficiency. On chemo for 2 1/2 years as experimental treatment for MG. Posts: 4480 | From Northeastern Connecticut | Registered: Jun 2005
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sparkle7
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 10397
posted
What a strange story. Tracy has it right - they can't take anything back after you leave the counter.
You could have put cyanide in the syringes...
I had a similar experience with auto insurance. We were being billed the wrong amount (in our favor). My boyfriend was late with the payment & they realized it.
So, then we had to get a new policy & it was alot more. We had to pay a large amount all at once to re-establish the policy, etc.
This stuff happens... Sorry, you had to go through it.
Posts: 7772 | From Northeast, again... | Registered: Oct 2006
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Tracy9
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posted
UGH; sparkle the SAME thing just happened to me with auto insurance! I swear,we are too sick to keep on top of things, and then everything just spirals downward!
Late fees, overdraft charges, etc have crippled us financially if we weren't already completely broke!!!
13 years Lyme & Co.; Small Fiber Neuropathy; Myasthenia Gravis, Adrenal Insufficiency. On chemo for 2 1/2 years as experimental treatment for MG. Posts: 4480 | From Northeastern Connecticut | Registered: Jun 2005
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groovy2
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6304
posted
Hi Ills
you can get bicillin in Mexico for $5 per dose-
It comes in the dry form that is mixed with sterile water that is included -
I fly to El Paso TX and then cross the border there-
There is a bus that goes from the airport to the mexican boarder many times aday-
You have to walk about 5 blocks total and you are in mexico -
there is cheap hotels right there also-
You can bring back perty much as much meds as you want and in Mexico they have Most of the ABX we use in treating Lyme ect-
It is best if you have a pass port but if you have your original birth certificate and a valid drivers lience I think you can still use them to cross back to the US --
There ia some type of rule that you can only bring back a 3 months supply of meds back with you but the Border guards have No Clue what a 3 month supply is-and is never enforced
I brought back close to one years worth of meds for myself -Biaxin -Bactrim- Alaina - Flagyl Bicillin ect - all at one time -
No scripts are needed -
You do have to tell the guard that these meds are for Personal Use --
its real easy and kind of fun -
If you want further info PM me--Jay--
Posts: 2999 | From Austin tx USA | Registered: Oct 2004
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Tracy9
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7521
posted
You can also buy the powdered form online I believe from New Zealand. I know Jamescase just bought some online.
13 years Lyme & Co.; Small Fiber Neuropathy; Myasthenia Gravis, Adrenal Insufficiency. On chemo for 2 1/2 years as experimental treatment for MG. Posts: 4480 | From Northeastern Connecticut | Registered: Jun 2005
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sparkle7
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 10397
posted
Yeah - those bank overdraft fee are outrageous! There was a fight in congress to have banks stop doing that but of course it never went though.
If you call the bank & fight with them about it, they usually remove some or most of them. I had to do this... They make you wait on hold & deny that they are doing something fishy.
It's really predatory & stealing. They do some really "funny business" with processing transactions & fees. It really should be illegal.
I used to work on Wall St. 20 years ago - the transactions should go through instantaneously.
The banks act like it's 1957 or something. They hold up the transactions so your account overdrafts - so, you end up paying fees for the fees.
If you run a tight ship, they really hose you with the interest for taking out "micro loans". It can be like 1500% for a small overdraft.
They let the charges go through even if you don't have money in the bank & you use the debit (not credit) card. They never used to do this...
I guess they have to make up for billion dollar losses somehow...
Posts: 7772 | From Northeast, again... | Registered: Oct 2006
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