Germany vs US, [1 - Pharmacies]
Jul. 14th, 2022 01:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
izardGermany, Munich: doctor writes a prescription, you go to any pharmacy you like (if you see a big line in one, you can just get to another one around the corner, maybe 2 minutes walking distance away). You pay a very small amount (~10-20 euros for 90% of common prescription medicine, sometimes 0), and you get a factory packed medicine that includes factory printed instructions. You unpack it and you are sure that you are the first human being touching it, it was all packed by a robot on a factory.
US, Portland: doctor writes a prescription and sends it to pharmacy of your choice. You can't (or it is difficult) to change your mind about pharmacy choice later. In the pharmacy, you pay slightly more than in Germany, but you get a receipt saying that the rest (few hundreds of dollars) was paid by your insurance. You also get a vial with medicines, hand-picked by pharmacist, along with instructions printed on the spot.
I understand that in US pharmacists never make errors, but in Germany there is simply no room for an error at the pharmacist level. Another difference is that in Germany pharmacist will consult you and suggest what can you buy from non-prescription medicines selection for your condition, and I think it is impossible in US.
US, Portland: doctor writes a prescription and sends it to pharmacy of your choice. You can't (or it is difficult) to change your mind about pharmacy choice later. In the pharmacy, you pay slightly more than in Germany, but you get a receipt saying that the rest (few hundreds of dollars) was paid by your insurance. You also get a vial with medicines, hand-picked by pharmacist, along with instructions printed on the spot.
I understand that in US pharmacists never make errors, but in Germany there is simply no room for an error at the pharmacist level. Another difference is that in Germany pharmacist will consult you and suggest what can you buy from non-prescription medicines selection for your condition, and I think it is impossible in US.
no subject
Date: 2022-07-14 09:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-07-14 09:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-07-14 09:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-07-14 09:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-07-14 11:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-07-15 12:15 am (UTC)You are right.
Just, to transfer a prescription to another pharmacy, there's a trick. You have the number on the vial. Keep the number. Store it in a database. You can come to another pharmacy, of your choice, and tell them you want them to supply you with that stuff. Give them the number, and give them your insurance info. That's it.
I remember when my regular pharmacy decided to give me just one insulin pen per visit, I asked them wtf, they said "it's insurance"; sure they lied. I moved to another, and was getting the regular 6-pen boxes.
And now I've moved to another state... well, ok, at times I have to call my doctor (in California) to tell them where my pharmacy now is. But my new doctor said he can prescribe me my stuff too, I just did not bother to do that part.
Otherwise, yes, it does look weird.
But also, you are in a pretty wild state.
US medicine/pharma
Date: 2022-07-15 01:13 am (UTC)Expensive medicine and pharmacy attracts more qualified people and pays for medical/pharmaceutical research.
Poor people suffer the most from the medicine/pharma being expensive.
no subject
Date: 2022-07-15 10:12 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-07-15 02:22 pm (UTC)Re: US medicine/pharma
Date: 2022-07-15 04:56 pm (UTC)Re: US medicine/pharma
Date: 2022-07-16 12:23 am (UTC)"Expensive" - is a bad trait of products/medicine/pills [if other things being equal].