Originally Posted by
redlude97
Yea albuterol has been off patent for years, and prior to 2009, albuterol inhalers could be had for ~$10 w/o insurance for generics. The pharma companies lobbied to ban all albuteral inhalers that used CFCs even though their environmental effect was minimal. All the new inhalers use the patented HFA dispersent so the retail cost is ~$60-70 now. You're lucky your insurance covers most of the cost, is it percentage based or copay based? Many insurances cover a lower percentage for "name brands" and since there are no generic inhalers people get shafted on inhaler costs. Some companies even limit the number of refills they cover/year at an unreasonably low number since its not technically supposed to be a daily use item.
It's complicated fine print-based cost. No, seriously it's a percentage copay, and drugs are discounted by the pharmacy by contractual agreement. And for long term prescriptions the cost is the same for generic and specific. Our copay (employer sponsored Medicare Part D supplement) is higher for a specific drug if no generic exists. Actually as long as the specific is on the "preferred" formulary list, there is no difference for specifics even if there is a generic EXCEPT in the per prescription, out-of-pocket maximum. That is $100 for generics, $200 for preferred formulary specifics, and $300 for non-preferred formulary specifics. So for example, when I get Nexium my copay is $200 for 3 months (180 caps, 2X/day), but when I get Esomeprazole Mg, it is only $100. There is also a $2,500/year/patient ($5,000/year/family) out of pocket maximum for all drug purchases. It is a pretty sweet deal. For an 80/20 type Medicare supplement (not 100% coverage) that fills in the holes in Medicare A and B including this Part D plan, the premium is only $52/mo/participant.