Wednesday, July 18, 2007

I Looooooooooooooove Saving a Few Bucks!!!!!

I am a frugal sort by necessity and over the years since I became single again I have become rabid about bargains. Nothing galls me more than paying too much for anything.

Y'all. I'm sure, remember my throwing a hillbilly fit back in March over receiving my Golden Buckeye Card -- a little reminder from the State of Ohio's Department of Aging that one is not a spring chicken anymore, as my mom, the farmer's daughter, used to say. We Ohioans receive it around our 60th birthday and it provides discounts at various businesses -- mostly restaurants and pharmacies. I hadn't paid much attention when it was announced that they were merging Golden Buckeye Card and the Best Rx Program -- a free state program for prescription discounts for elders that I hadn't explored as I was only taking one low cost scrip.

Today when I got home there was my new Golden Buckeye Card with a letter explaining the merger and they touted that it could save one big bucks. Fortuitously, I needed to go get the two new scrips the doctor had phoned in for me yesterday as well as pick up a refill of my thyroid medication so I figured I'd try it out.

The thyroid meds I get at a deep discount pharmacy we have here and the new scrips were at my grocer's pharmacy as both were available as four-dollar prescriptions a la Wal-Mart -- both are in a shopping center near my home. When I picked up my scrip at the discount pharmacy who already had my Golden Buckeye info on file when I tried to give my new card, I was stunned and amazed when the clerk said $12.71, please. This is the same stuff that I paid about twenty-two bucks for a month ago! I was thrilled to say the least.

I finished my shopping there and headed to the grocery and picked up few things I needed and headed to the pharmacy and handed her my Golden Buckeye Card and the following conversation ensued:

Tech: "I don't know if this will lower your cost or not since these are four-dollar prescriptions and your bill is only sixteen dollars."

Kay: "Sixteen dollars? I only had two prescriptions! I was figuring on eight dollars."

Tech: "Well,, your doctor ordered the one prescription to be taken three times a day so you pay three times four dollars."

Kay: Grrrrrrrrrrr That doctor and I have to talk about that but it's okay -- it's not your fault."

She went ahead and looked to see if further discounts were available with my GBC and came back and rang up my meds and said with a smile, "$7.21, please." I grinned and handed her my debit card and left the store feeling like I'd just committed highway robbery!

I estimate I saved about seventeen to eighteen dollars today. I am smiling!!!

Thank you, Ohio! There's actually a program in this state that does something good for us elders!

Happy Blogging!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kay

7 comments:

  1. I take my discounts wherever I can get them. Medicare is great; I take 4-5 Rx's every day and none of them is more than $4 per month. The exception is a gel I use on my face, and a tube of it is $60. There is no generic available for it, but since a tube last's a whole year, it isn't too bad.

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  2. I think I need to move to Ohio! The state I live in does nothing to help us as well as nothing to protect us from every scammer that wants to try.

    Good for you Kay!

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  3. Anonymous9:30 AM

    Making a mental note here to take back some of the bad things I've said about Ohio!

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  4. Dang, girl, sounds like you hit the jackpot. Wish there was one of those cards available in Florida.

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  5. Dang, girl, sounds like you hit the jackpot. Wish there was one of those cards available in Florida.

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  6. Anonymous5:32 PM

    Bravo for you AND for the state of Ohio!
    That's a great saving and the way it should be. I'm glad you're able to partake of it!

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  7. Anonymous10:21 PM

    Being of the same frugal upbringing you are, Kay, this is good news. Others are saying how great it is for the Medicare RX--NOT! If you don't take many drugs, it is. If you are like me with exotic cancer and asthma drugs, you reach that $2,250 (which they arrive at by what you've paid in co-pays and they have paid for the drugs themselves) very quickly--like in four months. Then you pay full price until you reach catastrophic coverage ($5,500) and then they pay 90%. The exception is if you sign over to an HMO senior plan; then your drugs are paid for. But, I am one who would only use an HMO if I have absolutely no other choice. Especially after seeing Sicko.

    My doctors think I would be better off getting my drugs in Canada once I reach the $2,250 donut hole, but so far I've hung in there. I made medical deductible last year though thanks to my drug copays and full pays.

    But--I am privileged to be one of the people who even have health insurance--Medicare 1st, private Blue Cross plan second.

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