Boy I Love a Good Deal

Doesn't everyone?

I went into Top Foods the other day to renew my Valtrex prescription. Sometimes I have my empty bottle with me and sometimes not. This time I didn't. The gal knows me by name when I show up, and always greets me with a smile, and this time was no exception. She jotted down my last name and the prescription that I was refilling and I wandered around the store for a few minutes. I came back and made the usual small talk, paid my $20 copay and left.

When I got home I opened the bag up and noticed that the pill bottle was a little bigger than usual, but didn't think much of it. After all, they're always giving me different bottle styles. I looked at the label and the quantity was crossed out and a note was written on it that said, "We owe you 30". I looked at the quantity they gave me and discovered that I had 60 instead of the usual 30 (I take one per day). Cool, a two-for-one sale! See, a little over a year ago my employer's health insurance cut back their prescriptions from 90 days max at one time to only 30. Evidently, when they filled my prescription this time they saw old info in my file or something. I wonder how they're going to handle the 30 they owe me when I go back in two months and show them the note on the pill bottle label?

I don't want to get into a rant about drug prices, but if I had to pay for my own Valtrex, I'd probably be doing without. According to the label, 60 pills that I received would have cost me $554.29. (insert GASP here) Talk about bleeding people dry...

The twisted thing about these kind of deals is that they are relative. They are only a good deal because you're used to them being so much worse. It's sort of hitting yourself in the head with a hammer just because it feels so good when you stop. Actually, our gas prices are a good example. Nowadays we feel good when we get gas under $3 a gallon. A couple years back we would've laughed someone out of the room if they had told us of the impending gas prices.

Anyway, it's always good to bleed a little less than you're used to bleeding...