40% off? Well, ok. But I get about %50 off using Canadian pharmacies, and I don't pay a $10 fee. Californians may turn their nose up at paying more than they have to and being means tested.
Canadian Pharmacy Story
I buy my blood pressure medication in Canada. A 3 month supply costs me $300 with no insurance.
I can buy the same brand name drug through my Blue Shield mail order pharmacy for $700. The reason is because there is a generic version, and the insurance company makes me pay for the cost differential between the generic and brand version. Well, the generic version gives me digestive problems because the inactive ingredients are different from those in the brand name. Bet lots of you folks thought that FDA approved generic drugs were exactly the same as the brand version. Well, they are not.
Fine, so I save $400 every three months. Last week I ordered a refill from Canada. It was a few days late arriving. Guess what? Today, I received a letter from US Customs. They seized my meds. It seems, it is against the law to import drugs from Canada, even if they are made in the US and exported to Canada as mine are.
So, I called the pharmacy. They will resend the drugs at no cost. I get to send back a form to the Customs Service who supposedly will return the drugs to the Canadian pharmacy. According to the pharmacy, Customs is seizing about one out of every 300 shipments. So, the odds are that the next package will get through.
Thank you FDA. Thank you Customs Service. Thank you Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate who are in the back pockets of the major drug companies. Thank you so much for protecting me from myself.