The Week in Review

Well, it has been an interesting week for us. When I went with the girls to Progresso, Mexico last year, I had tried to get Doug some allergy medicine without any success. I did not have enough information with me and I just was not convinced that it was the same medicine than we get in the US. This year we had to cancel the health insurance with my old employer, since the dues had increased so much that we could not afford it anymore. We found a more affordable health insurance for us, however, the prescription coverage is pretty much nonexistent.

Doug's mom, who traveled in a RV for 19 years, used to come down to Texas to get her annual check-up and then go to Mexico to pick up her medicines. We spend about $250 a month on prescriptions and even though I am sure a lot of people spend more, it still is a lot of money by the end of the year. So I figured as long as Linda will go with me (I don't want to go down there by myself), I will give Mexico another shot. I took the various boxes with me to be completely sure that it is the same manufacturer and dose that the prescription calls for. I was blown away by the difference in price. One of Doug's prescriptions costs us $150.00 a month. The exact same medicine in the same package with the Mexican name printed on the box costs $32.65. We bought one box and took it come for Doug to check out and make sure it really is the same. Guess what? It really is the same. Three days later Linda was kind enough to go back to Mexico with me, I had gone to the bank in the meantime to pick up cash (don't want to use credit card in Mexico) and we made a "drug" run. We now have enough meds for Doug and me to last through the end of the year and have save $1,400, besides the hassle of explaining to Walmart in various states that they need to electronically transfer the prescription from one state to the other in order to fill it.

I really got to thinking about health care in this country. We know that we are in trouble and a lot of people can not afford their medicine. I will never forgot a little old woman at a Walmart last year that bought just 5 pills, because she could not afford the whole prescription. I don't understand how a medication produced by the same manufacturer cost so much in the US and so much LESS in Mexico. Maybe our president should take a lot at that. How many millions of dollars could we safe if someone could figure out how this works. Well, I hope I did not bum anybody out with this entry, but it has blown me away enough to feel that I should write about it. Most of the time you will find happy news and cool adventures on our blog, but just once in a while you might encounter something that might make you think. Have a great week!!