Important points you make. They might have gone to an Urgent Care center to get new prescriptions, but I am not sure whether their travel insurance carrier would have covered the cost up front, or whether they would have had to pay to have each family member see a doctor there in order to get the new prescriptions. Essentially paying as an uninsured person, this can be pricey.

Without health insurance that specifically covers prescription medication, the cost of prescription medication itself for the consumer can be very, very high. A 30-day supply of a common, generic, older prescription, without insurance, will usually be somewhere in the $60-$70 range (and I am being conservative here, I suspect). More recently patented stuff? Costs can be very high without insurance.

Since this family's finances were limited during their vacation, I can see how this could quickly become a source of stress.