Medications! Expensive!!

[natalie_ca]

Originally Posted by Rosiemac

But do they have to pay a monthly insurance like the US?

We don't pay insurance for medical. There is private insurance coverage that you can sign up for that will cover things like dental, prescriptions, physio, massage, but it's an optional insurance coverage usually through work, though you can pay for it yourself directly through Blue Cross.

I have my private insurance through Blue Cross through my work. There is a limit of how much they pay for things. Dental is $1,000.00 per calendar year, medications is $500.00 per calendar year, massage and physio are $450.00 each per calendar year. Orthotics is 80% coverage every 2 years.

 

[natalie_ca]

Originally Posted by zoeysmom

Here in Ontario, anyway, you would pay out of pocket.

Same here if you don't have insurance.

I have Blue Net which allows me to get the prescription for the portion that I would pay instead of paying all up front and sending in the receipt to Blue Cross. However, Blue Net costs me an additional fee through my work. I pay it because I don't want to have to be out of pocket money and have to wait for it to be reimbursed.

Also, there are medications here that are not covered by any insurance at all. Earlier this year I was on an antibiotic (forget which one), but it wasn't covered under Blue Cross, or our Pharmacare program either. So I had to pay 100% of the cost of it myself despite having insurance which covered other medications I get.

 

[crittermom]

Originally Posted by Rosiemac

That's very similar to ours. It's £7.20 for a prescription, but if your out of work or on benefits you get it free, and Doctors and Hospital visits are free along with treatment such as any operations, physiotherapy etc..

I remember someone here posted a couple of years ago what the cost was for an operation and it was mad!. They couldn't believe it when i said we get operations for free

I know with Seth's operation and all, it was over $40,000.00.And thankfully, BC/BS ate most of that cost

 

[mbjerkness]

We had Blue Cross through DH's work. We are lucky we had no maximums, it was just 80%. His work just switched to Sunlife. We have no maximum on prescriptions it pays 80%. All basic dental is 100%, extensive dental is 50% capped at $2000 per person. My everyday prescriptions are just over $200 a month.

 

[3catsn1dog]

I dont have insurance and I cant afford to go to my old family doctor its 150 just to walk in the door let alone if they have to draw blood or give you a perscription anything like that its crazy. The only way I can get insurance is to buy it from work which its crap anyways and too expensive a month or get pregnant and get county medical insurance...Its horrible I cant call off work for being sick because if I call off and cant get to the doctors for a note I get written up. I just knock on wood that if I do get sick Tylenol or something along those lines (alcohol free due to probation) will work enough to kick it out of my system. Heaven forbid I get swine flu..My one manager whom I work with the most just was out of work because he got swine flu! Knock on wood I dont get sick within the next week!

 

[yosemite]

Originally Posted by Pami

A question..... what if your company doesnt cover your prescriptions?

My husband's company would cover them for both of us. If we worked for a company that did not have those benefits, we would have to purchase private insurance for dental, drugs, physiotherapy.

In Canada (at least in Ontario - I don't know about the other provinces), when you reach 65 your drugs are covered. All you pay is a dispense fee of $2.

 

[natalie_ca]

Originally Posted by Yosemite

In Canada (at least in Ontario - I don't know about the other provinces), when you reach 65 your drugs are covered. All you pay is a dispense fee of $2.

That is not the case in Manitoba. There is no senior discount for medications.