As Insurance Cost Rise for Prescription Drugs: Remember To Manage Prescription Drug Cost

The cost of prescription drugs for most people is a sore subject. Insurers have become less willing to allow patients to enjoy full coverage for costly name brand drugs. According to a recent article Anthem Blue Cross, Aetna and other health insurers are dramatically shifting more prescriptions for the more difficult conditions to a new category which will require customers to bear the burden of a larger share of the medications cost. An abundance of patients in California and across the nation who are prescribed expensive prescription drugs every month for serious conditions including cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and other ailments are facing real pain at the pharmacy. Until recently, most of these patients usually paid relatively small co-pays for the advanced drugs. As a result, pharmacy bills are going up — on top of insurance premiums. Patients who are scheduled for plastic surgery are likely to be prescribed certain medications throughout the surgical process. Most patients are prescribed an antibiotic, prescription strength pain medication, and in some cases a muscle relaxant and something for nausea. Dr. Kim with his discretion will decide which prescriptions are best for each individual patient. Due to the increasing cost of prescription medications it is more important now than ever for patients to utilize generic prescriptions whenever possible or discuss with Dr. Kim if substitutions are available as an option. Breast augmentation and abdominoplasty patients who are likely to have muscle tightness due to the muscle work involved in the procedures are likely to be prescribed a combination of muscle relaxers and prescription pain medication to be taken together. If finances are an issue, it is important to know the cost of each medication prescribed, and ask Dr. Kim if substitutions that are financially more appropriate are available.