Right now, we have insurance covering our medical bills and prescription drugs. But once upon a time we weren’t so lucky. Hubby had to get some stomach medicine at one point, and when we took it to the pharmacy, they said it would be $150 a month. He had to wait on it, because we didn’t have the money at the time.

That $150 is nothing compared to what some people have to pay. My mom is on several prescription drugs, and if she had to pay full price for them, they would be around $1,000 a month. Up until she was old enough for Medicare, she had to get them through those indigent prescription assistance programs. That wasn’t such a bad thing, because through them she got all but two of them for free. And on the ones she had to pay for, she got a significant discount.

But once she was able to get Medicare, she was no longer eligible for the assistance. She now has to pay for Medicare Part D coverage. It’s better than paying full price for all of her medicines, but it still takes a big chunk of her fixed income.

I realize that prescription drugs are expensive to create due to research and all. But there’s got to be some way to make them less of a burden on those who need them but have very little money. I plan read up on the issue, and I’ll post about my findings when things calm down for me.