Columnist Discusses Insurers’ Confusing Rx Drug Pricing
Los Angeles Times columnist David Lazarus writes that an examination of drug pricing practices between insurers and mail-order pharmacies reveals "how difficult it can be for consumers to know whether they're being charged a fair or even reasonable price for prescription drugs." He cites a situation where a California resident found that the cost of a 90-day supply of a cholesterol drug through Aetna's mail-order pharmacy "was nearly four times as costly as the retail alternative," even though insurers typically tell consumers to buy drugs from mail-order pharmacies if they want cheaper prices.
- "At Aetna, Another Example of Screwy Medical Pricing" (Lazarus, Los Angeles Times, 5/31).