Originally Posted by
estnet
I don't know the costs of meds in Italy obviously, but I was referring to the full cost (not based on insurance). The bp med you mentioned that would have cost 750 in the US would cost how much in Italy?
In the US without insurance costs vary wildly between different pharmacies and being smart is important. I notified an MD than the med he had rx'd cost $3000 (yes thousand) - which had been increased from $300 a few years ago for ONE PILL THAT COMBINED 2 OTC MEDS THAT WOULD COST ABOUT $30 for both. So taking 1 pill that required an rx rather than 2 pills cost you thousands of dollars BUT since most people have insurance they may not be aware of or care - of course with "managed care" (which I am usually not in favor of) the insurance may catch this.
There are lots of weird things - eg the cost of a Nonsteroidal cream that I used costs $80 in the US and requires a prescription, the SAME med in France does not require rx and costs about $8, (the generic version costs $3 in Thailand),
You are correct. I should have been more clear. My message should have been if you are insured, make sure you have enough of your medications with you so that you don't have to buy them over there because uninsured in Italy, they will cost much more.
Most drugs in the USA are inexpensive if you have insurance or medicare. However, medications in the USA cost twice as much as in any other country to insurers, Medicare, and Medicaid. It is a scandal, it is a scandal, because without insurance, you can't buy most medications. I've lost close friends to this because they couldn't afford Obamacare, couldn't afford their cancer meds, and died. I've personally stopped taking a blood pressure medication because it is too expensive even with insurance, but it is no available in Italy.
I believe a month's worth of insulin can cost about $250 in the USA until you reach your deductible, which can be $5,000. In Mexico you can buy a year's supply for $500. I know people here in Northern California who fly to Tijuana, Mexico, because they can't afford their insulin. And insulin has been around for about 100 years. Many people in Southern California drive to Mexico for their meds, and many people who live close to Canada drive up there to get them.
I do take one medication regularly, and sometimes need others, and with insurance the co-pay can be $10-20. Since I no longer have a permanent residence in Italy I'm not covered by Italian national insurance, so those meds can cost more there. I should have said, "bring enough medication with you, because they will be more expensive in Italy." On the other hand, if you go to a hospital for an emergency, medication is free. In the USA an ER in often charges $30 per aspirin, $18,000 for a headache, and up to $24,000 for a sprained ankle. And health care outcomes in Italy are far, far better in Italy.
https://www.foxbusiness.com/features...ges-what-to-do
People are saying that Big Pharm needs a, "Tobacco Moment," as when Congress brought the CEO's of the six main tobacco companies before them, and all denied a link between smoking and lung cancer, heart disease, and said they weren't addictive. That led to action that reduced smoking to its lowest rate in history in the USA.
Meds cost twice as much in the USA as in the UK. Their outcomes are not as good as in Italy, but are far superior to medical care in the USA. I know a doctor, one of the most pre-eminent in the USA. I believe former head of the American College of Cardiology. He just published an article, "Why it's Still 1989 for Primary Care," in the USA.
https://www.medpagetoday.com/blogs/revolutionandrevelation/80822?xid=nl_mpt_blog2019-07-03&eun=g1169526d0r&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium= email&utm_campaign=Packer_070319&utm_term=NL_Gen_I nt_Milton_Packer