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Open Thread: Add your suggestions for help with medical costs. Street Prophets Coffee Hour. [1]

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Date: 2023-08-13  

Welcome to Street Prophets Coffee Hour, the place where politics meets up with religion, art, science, nature, and life. Come in, have a cuppa and a cookie (or three!) and join us.

We’ve had a number of diaries lately requesting financial help, and it’s distressing to see how many of those have been entirely for medical needs, or at least exacerbated by medical costs, whether medical debt, need for ongoing care, or prescription medication. It’s unthinkable that we live in a country where medical costs can destroy lives. The DK community steps up, every time, to cover those needs, because we know that it could be any one of us, at any time. Medical care is that precarious. I have Medicare myself, and although there are those who think Medicare for All is a solution, I have reservations. I think that doesn’t go nearly far enough. I’d rather say Medicaid for All, myself. I think it has better coverage, although it does have a marketing problem with that name.

But we’re nowhere near either one, so we’re left to piece together our own solutions as best we can. I’m going to suggest a few things that may help, but this is an amazingly diverse community with incredible knowledge accumulated as we work our way through the system, and people each have their own set of unique knowledge gained “the hard way”. Please add your ideas in the comments. And please check back, as more are added.

I’m starting off with prescription medications. The worst thing you can do if you can’t pay the co-pay is to skip needed meds. Check with your doctor. They may have samples that you can take for a few days. Check with your pharmacy. They may allow you to pay for a lesser amount, to last until either your next paycheck or until you can raise the money other ways.

I currently have no co-pay on most of my meds, but my daughter has terrible insurance with large co-pays. She’s found that she can save a lot of money through Mark Cuban’s Cost-Plus online pharmacy. It started with 100 of the most common generic medications but has expanded to thousands, although they’re still all generic. If you have a med that’s hideously expensive, see what they can do for you.

I have no experience with either GoodRx or with contacting drug manufacturers directly. If you do, what can you tell us about it?

Maureen Mower at one time knew how to address medical debt. She’s no longer with us, and I didn’t keep that information (I didn’t really understand what she was saying as I didn’t need to know), but if anyone knows a way to deal with it, put it in the comments.

What other information can you give, or ask for, in meeting medical needs? Add it below.

And while you’re here, check out this week’s Community Needs List.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/8/13/2186847/-Open-Thread-Add-your-suggestions-for-help-with-medical-costs-Street-Prophets-Coffee-Hour

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