Prescription drugs off the DPS can be cheaper

rom

Many people don't know that this is often the case that a prescriptions off the Drugs payment schemes can be cheaper. Many use the scheme as a way to register all their prescriptions with a single chemist so they can use it for their Med 1 at the end of year for their P21 balancing statement on their tax. However if the saving is more than the possible tax rebate between them then you are better off paying off the scheme.

The limit is very high and only those with a longer term illness benefit.

I got a nasal spray just now that is 47 euro on the scheme or 37 euro off. pharmacist says its always worth asking as it may save you money and if you don't do the Med 1 it may be a single pick the smaller number.

_Whimsical_

rom wrote: »

Many people don't know that this is often the case that a prescriptions off the Drugs payment schemes can be cheaper. Many use the scheme as a way to register all their prescriptions with a single chemist so they can use it for their Med 1 at the end of year for their P21 balancing statement on their tax. However if the saving is more than the possible tax rebate between them then you are better off paying off the scheme.

The limit is very high and only those with a longer term illness benefit.

I got a nasal spray just now that is 47 euro on the scheme or 37 euro off. pharmacist says its always worth asking as it may save you money and if you don't do the Med 1 it may be a single pick the smaller number.

Was the nasal spray you were offered at 37 Euro a generic brand or a different name than the one you would have gotten via the repayment scheme?

Slutmonkey57b

What's a "med 1"? How do you "use" the drug payment scheme? My understanding is that the Drug payment scheme simply limits the monthly total you can spend on prescriptions, not negotiate better prices for individual prescriptions.

_Whimsical_

Slutmonkey57b wrote: »

What's a "med 1"? How do you "use" the drug payment scheme? My understanding is that the Drug payment scheme simply limits the monthly total you can spend on prescriptions, not negotiate better prices for individual prescriptions.

Med1 is a form you use to claim back tax paid on medical expenses. You can download it on the revenue site and claim for expenses for the past 3 years.You can also claim via your revenue online account.

My understanding of the drug repayment scheme was the same as yours though.

rom

_Whimsical_ wrote: »

Was the nasal spray you were offered at 37 Euro a generic brand or a different name than the one you would have gotten via the repayment scheme?

No it was the exact same one on both. It has happened a few times to me. An anti-biotic was like 25 on the scheme and 6 off earlier in the year. Again the exact same thing and not a generic version.

daheff

rom wrote: »

No it was the exact same one on both. It has happened a few times to me. An anti-biotic was like 25 on the scheme and 6 off earlier in the year. Again the exact same thing and not a generic version.

I think your pharmacist is taking the proverbial.

If I were you i'd query it with your local HSE to see if this is what they are expecting.

total former

rom wrote: »

No it was the exact same one on both. It has happened a few times to me. An anti-biotic was like 25 on the scheme and 6 off earlier in the year. Again the exact same thing and not a generic version.

No, this isn't possible.

Kristopherus

daheff wrote: »

I think your pharmacist is taking the proverbial.

If I were you i'd query it with your local HSE to see if this is what they are expecting.

I agree. Pharmacists are constantly moaning that they cannot make a living on the rates paid by the HSE. How the OP's guy can do those rates defies logic. He should be reported.

Soarer

If you're under the €144 DPS limit, the price should be the same whether or which.

However, if you go over the limit, it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest to know pharmacists charge the government more for the drugs.

total former

Soarer wrote: »

If you're under the €144 DPS limit, the price should be the same whether or which.

However, if you go over the limit, it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest to know pharmacists charge the government more for the drugs.

You would be very wrong.

On the DPS the drugs price is fixed by the HSE and so is the fee the pharmacist charges.

Off the DPS scheme, the pharmacist can quite literally charge whatever he likes.

I don't think the OP is correct here.

soc

I don't know what OP means about the 'on' or 'off' DPS, but if you have a repeat prescription, it will cost you less if you ask the pharmacist to dispense entire prescription in the one go: if you have a repeat prescription that is for 6 months, by getting entire prescription dispensed at same time, you only pay 1 dispensing cost as opposed to 6 (for each time you go to chemist). Interestingly not all pharmacists will do this though - as they want to make money on the dispensing fee. My pharmacist actually told me about this way to save some money! So now, instead of paying something like €12 per month for my prescription (€72 in total), I can collect 6 months worth, and it only costs me around €16!

RoscommonTom

can you get viagora without the persciptiin with this crowd

L1011

Either the OP or his pharmacist is very confused.

You can do a med1 on all pharmacy receipts DPS or not, as well as the logic issues in pricing

Flatzie_poo

RoscommonTom wrote: »

can you get viagora without the persciptiin with this crowd

I heard one of the side effects of that drug is being able to spell..!

September1

Another DPS 'trick' is to make sure you get prescription for all drugs you need to take, even those that do not require prescription. This way they all count into 144 limit and later tax deduction.

Slutmonkey57b

So what the op is confirming here is that pharmacists are deliberately inflating the prices they charge to the HSE?

total former

Slutmonkey57b wrote: »

So what the op is confirming here is that pharmacists are deliberately inflating the prices they charge to the HSE?

No.

The HSE sets the price, not the pharmacist. They can't inflate it.

There is some serous misinformation on this thread and it is not a bargain alert.

Soarer

total former wrote: »

No.

The HSE sets the price, not the pharmacist. They can't inflate it.

There is some serous misinformation on this thread and it is not a bargain alert.

So how come a place like Healthwave can be so much cheaper than my local pharmacy? Is the HSE setting a lower price for Healthwave?

Edit: I know this isn't really a BA, but it's very interesting to those of us that reach the €144 limit every month, and it'd be much appreciated if the mods didn't lock it.

daheff

September1 wrote: »

Another DPS 'trick' is to make sure you get prescription for all drugs you need to take, even those that do not require prescription. This way they all count into 144 limit and later tax deduction.

Not quite 100% accurate as far as I know. Some drugs are available on and off prescription (eg antihistamines). In the case where you are going over the 144 limit then yes it makes sense to get those kind of drugs on prescription (the prescription kind are more exp as far as I know- it might be due to dispensing costs).

I don't believe all drugs can be bought on prescription (eg lemsip)

total former

Soarer wrote: »

So how come a place like Healthwave can be so much cheaper than my local pharmacy? Is the HSE setting a lower price for Healthwave?

Disclaimer: I used to be a pharmacist, am now working somewhere else, so I understand all this stuff but have no vested interest.

Healthwave is a different model completely and the bargain prices they offer are not set by the HSE. But then if you go into your local pharmacy and, as the OP suggests, ask not to have your prescription put through on the DPS, then the HSE has no input on that either.

So it's like this; you go into your pharmacy with a prescription, let's say for your asthma inhaler. You can choose either to have it processed under the DPS (if you are registered) or just buy it from the pharmacist in a free-market transaction.

Under the DPS, the pharmacist gets the cost price (set by the HSE, all available to view on their website) plus a set fee and markup, which have been slashed considerably in the last few years. This is paid by the patient up until the cost reaches €144 per family per month, after which everything is paid for by the state. Because the cost price and fees are fixed, buying on the DPS will cost the same regardless of what pharmacy you go to.

Now, in a 'private' sale, not on the DPS, the pharmacist can legally charge you whatever he likes. He could in theory apply a 400% markup and a €50 dispensing fee, but then you have the option not to pay it and you can shop around. Most pharmacies will use the HSE-set "cost price" as to have two cost prices in your system would be an absolute nightmare.

A couple of years ago, Boots announced they were going to start charging a flat fee and no markup to every prescription; they got a lot of free publicity for this but in a lot of cases (for low cost items like the pill, inhalers), it actually works out more expensive for the patient.

With me so far?

So Healthwave. Because they operate under the 'free market' model, they don't have to work off the HSE pricing structure at all. They can buy the cheapest generic brand they can source and provide that to you. Because it's all basically mail order, they can work off thinner margins than your local pharmacy. So far so good, until you need a drug that isn't on Healthwave's "bargain" list (mainly drugs that are still under patent or low-volume drugs that don't have generics). Then you're in trouble, because you might need to fall back on the DPS and the money you've already paid to Healthwave doesn't count towards that. Or if it's something like an antibiotic that you need urgently, you can't be hanging around waiting for them to post it down to you.

So if you're a middle-aged person on regular cholesterol and blood pressure medication but otherwise healthy, go for Healthwave. Otherwise, I wouldn't advise it. If you're on the DPS and actually reach the €144 limit every month, it's a no-brainer to stick with it.

Going back to the OP; I can probably imagine a limited set of circumstances in which this might have happened:

I got a nasal spray just now that is 47 euro on the scheme or 37 euro off.

but not this one, this one never happened:

An anti-biotic was like 25 on the scheme and 6 off earlier in the year. Again the exact same thing and not a generic version.

The moral of the story is; ask your pharmacist, it takes like 15 seconds to calculate the different prices and they really don't mind.

Also, as posted earlier, if you're a woman on the pill, buy it in 6-month batches.

rom

@ total former: basically thats it. I didn't explain it right. Basically ask for both prices when getting perceptions. It was the pharmacist that suggested the second price and it was close on 20 euro cheaper. I have not got the exact amount but if the difference was not so drastic then I would not be asking as if the different is 20% less then it be claimed back when I do my taxes. In both instances generic drugs were not used.

Fr_Dougal

rom wrote: »

@ total former: basically thats it. I didn't explain it right. Basically ask for both prices when getting perceptions. It was the pharmacist that suggested the second price and it was close on 20 euro cheaper. I have not got the exact amount but if the difference was not so drastic then I would not be asking as if the different is 20% less then it be claimed back when I do my taxes. In both instances generic drugs were not used.

Is there any chance that one nasal spray was prescription and the other wasn't? I know of one nasal spray(green container) that's a good bit cheaper for the non-prescription version. If you compare both bottles, the non-prescription contains a weaker version of the spray, lower % of the active ingredient.

rom

Fr_Dougal wrote: »

Is there any chance that one nasal spray was prescription and the other wasn't? I know of one nasal spray(green container) that's a good bit cheaper for the non-prescription version. If you compare both bottles, the non-prescription contains a weaker version of the spray, lower % of the active ingredient.

Dymista 23g is what I was getting. Basically I was quotes 47 euro on DPS and then I asked how much off the scheme and I was told 37. There is nothing stopping people asking. I used to take Nasonex and it was 11 pounds in boots UK but 35 euro here. Both require prescription. It is worth pricing around or taking your repeat prescription on holidays as it can be filled anywhere in the EU. I posted a thread similar to this before and lots of negativity from vested interests. If it works 1 out of 10 times a single question could save you money. I am not saying that it is widespread but it does happen often from what I have been told by a pharmacist.

mirrorwall14

total former wrote: »

Disclaimer: I used to be a pharmacist, am now working somewhere else, so I understand all this stuff but have no vested interest.

Healthwave is a different model completely and the bargain prices they offer are not set by the HSE. But then if you go into your local pharmacy and, as the OP suggests, ask not to have your prescription put through on the DPS, then the HSE has no input on that either.

So it's like this; you go into your pharmacy with a prescription, let's say for your asthma inhaler. You can choose either to have it processed under the DPS (if you are registered) or just buy it from the pharmacist in a free-market transaction.

Under the DPS, the pharmacist gets the cost price (set by the HSE, all available to view on their website) plus a set fee and markup, which have been slashed considerably in the last few years. This is paid by the patient up until the cost reaches €144 per family per month, after which everything is paid for by the state. Because the cost price and fees are fixed, buying on the DPS will cost the same regardless of what pharmacy you go to.

Now, in a 'private' sale, not on the DPS, the pharmacist can legally charge you whatever he likes. He could in theory apply a 400% markup and a €50 dispensing fee, but then you have the option not to pay it and you can shop around. Most pharmacies will use the HSE-set "cost price" as to have two cost prices in your system would be an absolute nightmare.

A couple of years ago, Boots announced they were going to start charging a flat fee and no markup to every prescription; they got a lot of free publicity for this but in a lot of cases (for low cost items like the pill, inhalers), it actually works out more expensive for the patient.

With me so far?

So Healthwave. Because they operate under the 'free market' model, they don't have to work off the HSE pricing structure at all. They can buy the cheapest generic brand they can source and provide that to you. Because it's all basically mail order, they can work off thinner margins than your local pharmacy. So far so good, until you need a drug that isn't on Healthwave's "bargain" list (mainly drugs that are still under patent or low-volume drugs that don't have generics). Then you're in trouble, because you might need to fall back on the DPS and the money you've already paid to Healthwave doesn't count towards that. Or if it's something like an antibiotic that you need urgently, you can't be hanging around waiting for them to post it down to you.

So if you're a middle-aged person on regular cholesterol and blood pressure medication but otherwise healthy, go for Healthwave. Otherwise, I wouldn't advise it. If you're on the DPS and actually reach the €144 limit every month, it's a no-brainer to stick with it.

Going back to the OP; I can probably imagine a limited set of circumstances in which this might have happened:

but not this one, this one never happened:


The moral of the story is; ask your pharmacist, it takes like 15 seconds to calculate the different prices and they really don't mind.

Also, as posted earlier, if you're a woman on the pill, buy it in 6-month batches.

Are you allowed fill all drugs in six month scripts in one month? Like I'm on an asthma inhaler, steroid nasal spray and reflux meds on an ongoing basis. Can I really go into a pharmacy and ask them for six months supply of all of them? That's like over 1000e worth of meds and I only have to pay 144?
At the moment I pay 144 a month and have never been offered more than one months supply of anything

angeldelight

No you can't have them all dispensed in one go for 144 as the HSE only pays for one months supply per calendar month under the drug payments scheme. However if someone was on something reasonably inexpensive eg contraceptive pill or Eltroxin then it would usually work out cheaper to ask for all six months to be dispensed in one go. It wouldn't be processed under the drug payments scheme and most pharmacies would only charge one dispensing fee, which is where you make the saving. It's worth noting that some pharmacies, including Boots as far as I know, will still apply multiple dispensing fees so it's advisable to ask the price before asking for six months.

FrStone

angeldelight wrote: »

including Boots as far as I know, will still apply multiple dispensing fees so it's advisable to ask the price before asking for six months.

Generally though, I haven't found any pharmacy that can beat the prices offered by Boots on any drugs I buy.

Interrobang

mirrorwall14 wrote: »

Are you allowed fill all drugs in six month scripts in one month? Like I'm on an asthma inhaler, steroid nasal spray and reflux meds on an ongoing basis. Can I really go into a pharmacy and ask them for six months supply of all of them? That's like over 1000e worth of meds and I only have to pay 144?
At the moment I pay 144 a month and have never been offered more than one months supply of anything

Would love the answer to this one too, because I asked my pharmacist about this and they said they couldn't dispense more than one month at a time.

Interrobang

mirrorwall14 wrote: »

Are you allowed fill all drugs in six month scripts in one month? Like I'm on an asthma inhaler, steroid nasal spray and reflux meds on an ongoing basis. Can I really go into a pharmacy and ask them for six months supply of all of them? That's like over 1000e worth of meds and I only have to pay 144?
At the moment I pay 144 a month and have never been offered more than one months supply of anything

Would love the answer to this one too, because I asked my pharmacist about this and they said they couldn't dispense more than one month at a time.

total former

Interrobang wrote: »

Would love the answer to this one too, because I asked my pharmacist about this and they said they couldn't dispense more than one month at a time.

If you're on the Drugs Payment Scheme, then yes, you can only get one month's supply in any given month. The HSE won't reimburse the pharmacist if he gives you more than that.

The initial tip for buying in 6-month batches only applies to private prescriptions, i.e. not on any state scheme.

RainyDay

FrStone wrote: »

Generally though, I haven't found any pharmacy that can beat the prices offered by Boots on any drugs I buy.

Try Healthwave. For my BP medication, it is half the price of Boots. And they will courier the stuff out to you at no extra charge.

total former wrote: »

Disclaimer: I used to be a pharmacist, am now working somewhere else, so I understand all this stuff but have no vested interest.
[...]
So Healthwave. Because they operate under the 'free market' model, they don't have to work off the HSE pricing structure at all. They can buy the cheapest generic brand they can source and provide that to you. Because it's all basically mail order, they can work off thinner margins than your local pharmacy. So far so good, until you need a drug that isn't on Healthwave's "bargain" list (mainly drugs that are still under patent or low-volume drugs that don't have generics). Then you're in trouble, because you might need to fall back on the DPS and the money you've already paid to Healthwave doesn't count towards that. Or if it's something like an antibiotic that you need urgently, you can't be hanging around waiting for them to post it down to you.

So if you're a middle-aged person on regular cholesterol and blood pressure medication but otherwise healthy, go for Healthwave. Otherwise, I wouldn't advise it. If you're on the DPS and actually reach the €144 limit every month, it's a no-brainer to stick with it.

This is not correct, and is unfair to Healthwave.
1) You're not 'hanging around waiting for them to post it down to you'. They use Fastway courier, so it will be same day or next day, depending on what time they dispatch it to you.
2) It is not true to say 'the money you've already paid to Healthwave doesn't count towards that' (the DPS). I've been with Healthwave for over a year, and each purchase includes the blue printed DPS form showing the prices I've paid, so I can avail of DPS with Healthwave or another pharmacy or claim a refund back later.

For the record, my BP drugs from Healthwave are half the price I was paying at Boots. I asked Boots about generics, and they don't me it wouldn't save anything. Healthwave provide generics (often a different brand each time I purchase) at half the price.

And they courier the stuff out to you at no extra cost, up to four times a year. And their visiting pharmacist will come and visit you, at no extra cost.

It's an amazing service.

Cape Clear

How much is the dispensing charge for one month's meds?

total former

RainyDay wrote: »

This is not correct, and is unfair to Healthwave.
1) You're not 'hanging around waiting for them to post it down to you'. They use Fastway courier, so it will be same day or next day, depending on what time they dispatch it to you.
2) It is not true to say 'the money you've already paid to Healthwave doesn't count towards that' (the DPS). I've been with Healthwave for over a year, and each purchase includes the blue printed DPS form showing the prices I've paid, so I can avail of DPS with Healthwave or another pharmacy or claim a refund back later.

For the record, my BP drugs from Healthwave are half the price I was paying at Boots. I asked Boots about generics, and they don't me it wouldn't save anything. Healthwave provide generics (often a different brand each time I purchase) at half the price.

And they courier the stuff out to you at no extra cost, up to four times a year. And their visiting pharmacist will come and visit you, at no extra cost.

It's an amazing service.

In my defence, if I went into the ins and outs of every aspect of pharmacy, my already lengthy post would have gone into epic proportions.

But since you've accused me of being wrong and unfair, allow me to respond:
1) Let's say you need an antibiotic, as per my post. You go to the doctor and he writes you a prescription. You put that the prescription in the post to Healthwave. Best-case scenario, they get it the following day, and then courier the stuff out to you the following day again. So that's a two-day delay, assuming you don't go the doctor on a Friday, or miss the last post, or your prescription gets delayed on its way... No, realistically, Healthwave is not an option in these circumstances.

2) My point here was that should you need to go to another pharmacy, the money you've paid to Healthwave doesn't count towards the DPS limit. Yes you can claim a refund back later, but is that not extra hassle? Or if you do reach the €144 threshold, then your membership fee to Healthwave is essentially wasted because you're saving nothing.

As I said in my post, if you're stabilised on regular medication that is cheap and off-patent (like most BP drugs), and you're relatively healthy otherwise, then Healthwave is a good service, but it's not for everyone.

RainyDay

total former wrote: »

1) Let's say you need an antibiotic, as per my post. You go to the doctor and he writes you a prescription. You put that the prescription in the post to Healthwave. Best-case scenario, they get it the following day, and then courier the stuff out to you the following day again. So that's a two-day delay, assuming you don't go the doctor on a Friday, or miss the last post, or your prescription gets delayed on its way... No, realistically, Healthwave is not an option in these circumstances.

Actually, best case scenario would be that you post it on day 1, they get it on the morning of day 2, ship it to you by courier before lunch time, and you get it on the afternoon of day 2 - but that's a minor detail.
The real issue is that you're suggesting a 'tail wagging the dog' scenario. I agree that in this situation, if Healthwave is not reasonably convenient for your visit, it makes little sense to get your anti-biotic from Healthwave. You would go to your local pharmacy for the anti-biotic.

But that's not a reason not to use Healthwave for your regular, general requirements. It's a reason not to use Healthwave for time-critical requirements.

total former wrote: »

2) My point here was that should you need to go to another pharmacy, the money you've paid to Healthwave doesn't count towards the DPS limit. Yes you can claim a refund back later, but is that not extra hassle?

It's just not true to say that the money you've paid to Healthwave doesn't count towards the DPS limit. The money you've paid to Healthwave absolutely does count towards the DPS limit. Your other pharmacy may not recognise this, but it absolutely does count. This isn't a feature of Healthwave - it's the same for any pharmacy.

total former wrote: »

Or if you do reach the €144 threshold, then your membership fee to Healthwave is essentially wasted because you're saving nothing.

And yes, if you were over the €144 threshold without Healthwave and are you still over the €144 threshold with Healthwave, your membership fee doesn't get you a whole lot - except maybe four courier deliveries per year and a visiting pharmacist service, if those are of value to you.

total former wrote: »

As I said in my post, if you're stabilised on regular medication that is cheap and off-patent (like most BP drugs), and you're relatively healthy otherwise, then Healthwave is a good service, but it's not for everyone.

I fully agree that it's not for everyone, but it would be well worth everyone on regular meds getting a quote from them for the monthly cost. I saved a couple of hundred euros last year. A family member saved close to a grand. Another family didn't use them as there was no saving for her. But it's certainly worth a look.

L1011

Cape Clear wrote: »

How much is the dispensing charge for one month's meds?

Depends on how many items are in it. Dispensing fee is per item. Also varies hugely on the pharmacy and sometimes the item in question - I'm aware of a pharmacy who charged no dispensing fee at all on Lipitor as it was the only product that the local paper asked about the price of every time they did a price comparison.

Frigga_92

mirrorwall14 wrote: »

Are you allowed fill all drugs in six month scripts in one month? Like I'm on an asthma inhaler, steroid nasal spray and reflux meds on an ongoing basis. Can I really go into a pharmacy and ask them for six months supply of all of them? That's like over 1000e worth of meds and I only have to pay 144?
At the moment I pay 144 a month and have never been offered more than one months supply of anything

A pharmacist will only dispense one month of your prescription per month. In my experience some pharmacists will dispense a few months of the pill at once but I have never seen them do it with any other medication.
I am on 10 different types of medication on repeat prescription, to buy them without DPS would cost in excess of €500 per month.
One of my inhalers costs €75-€125 depending on the chemist I go to :mad:

RainyDay

Frigga_92 wrote: »

A pharmacist will only dispense one month of your prescription per month. In my experience some pharmacists will dispense a few months of the pill at once but I have never seen them do it with any other medication.

Healthwave give me 3 months supply of my BP drugs at a time. It doesn't go near the DPS limit, so that's not an issue for me.

mirrorwall14

Frigga_92 wrote: »

A pharmacist will only dispense one month of your prescription per month. In my experience some pharmacists will dispense a few months of the pill at once but I have never seen them do it with any other medication.
I am on 10 different types of medication on repeat prescription, to buy them without DPS would cost in excess of €500 per month.
One of my inhalers costs €75-€125 depending on the chemist I go to :mad:

Asthma drugs should be free like diabetes. If you don't keep it under control it's awful and its chronic-it's not like it's ever going away fully. I was on two symbicort inhalers, 40mg nexium, singulair, zxyzal, avamys nasal spray and ventolin at one stage. Luckily it's more under control now. I'm off all the meds except tummy meds and I've moved to bufomix which is a bit cheaper than symbicort.

Frigga_92

mirrorwall14 wrote: »

Asthma drugs should be free like diabetes. If you don't keep it under control it's awful and its chronic-it's not like it's ever going away fully. I was on two symbicort inhalers, 40mg nexium, singulair, zxyzal, avamys nasal spray and ventolin at one stage. Luckily it's more under control now. I'm off all the meds except tummy meds and I've moved to bufomix which is a bit cheaper than symbicort.

Yeah, I've never understood why asthma isn't classified as a long-term illness. I'm 27 and have had it since I was born, and it's only gotten worse as I've gotten older, if that's not long-term, I don't know what is.

quadrifoglio verde

Frigga_92 wrote: »

A pharmacist will only dispense one month of your prescription per month. In my experience some pharmacists will dispense a few months of the pill at once but I have never seen them do it with any other medication.
I am on 10 different types of medication on repeat prescription, to buy them without DPS would cost in excess of €500 per month.
One of my inhalers costs €75-€125 depending on the chemist I go to :mad:

Try a different pharmacy....once its a private script, they should have no problem dispensing six months supply in one go if thats whats written on it.
Obviously if you're going over the 144 in a month it wouldn't make any financial sense to do so, but if your not then it definitely does.
They can still give you six months supply on the DPS, they just have to charge you six lots of 144 if you go over the 144 or six lots of each month if under.
Although that could be expensive and risky if your meds get changed

Frigga_92

quadrifoglio verde wrote: »

Try a different pharmacy....once its a private script, they should have no problem dispensing six months supply in one go if thats whats written on it.
Obviously if you're going over the 144 in a month it wouldn't make any financial sense to do so, but if your not then it definitely does.
They can still give you six months supply on the DPS, they just have to charge you six lots of 144 if you go over the 144 or six lots of each month if under.
Although that could be expensive and risky if your meds get changed

I'm only talking about prescriptions worth €144 or more.
And yes, I'm aware they can dispense 6 months at one time and charge you €144 x 6 but as you say, it's too risky if medication gets changed. Also, I'm on 4 different types of painkillers and wouldn't like to keep a 6 month supply of them in the house in case there was a break in.

total former

Frigga_92 wrote: »

Yeah, I've never understood why asthma isn't classified as a long-term illness. I'm 27 and have had it since I was born, and it's only gotten worse as I've gotten older, if that's not long-term, I don't know what is.

Going way off bargain alerts here, but there are a couple of reasons for this;
1) A lot of children who are diagnosed with asthma simply grow out of it. This isn't the case with the illnesses that are listed. I appreciate this isn't the case for you but most childhood cases do resolve themselves.
2) The number of people with asthma in Ireland would absolutely dwarf the numbers with all the other illnesses on the scheme. This would have serious cost implications for the state.
3) Most people with asthma are relatively healthy otherwise and many of these people can have their illness managed relatively cheaply, so the burden on the patient isn't the same as with some of the listed conditions. Again, I stress "most" because for some people it can be quite expensive.

I don't want to get into the rights and wrongs of it but that's briefly the rationale for it.

Frigga_92

total former wrote: »

Going way off bargain alerts here, but there are a couple of reasons for this;
1) A lot of children who are diagnosed with asthma simply grow out of it. This isn't the case with the illnesses that are listed. I appreciate this isn't the case for you but most childhood cases do resolve themselves.
2) The number of people with asthma in Ireland would absolutely dwarf the numbers with all the other illnesses on the scheme. This would have serious cost implications for the state.
3) Most people with asthma are relatively healthy otherwise and many of these people can have their illness managed relatively cheaply, so the burden on the patient isn't the same as with some of the listed conditions. Again, I stress "most" because for some people it can be quite expensive.

I don't want to get into the rights and wrongs of it but that's briefly the rationale for it.

It was a throw away statement, I didn't necessarily mean I don't understand why, moreso I meant it doesn't make any sense to me in my position with my asthma.
There should be some sort of system whereby these things can be looked at on a case by case basis. For example, with the assistance of my GP, I could make a case to the HSE in respect of my condition being classed as long-term and obtain a long-term illness card.

Anyway, as you say, way off topic now.

sleepyheadh

Frigga_92 wrote: »

There should be some sort of system whereby these things can be looked at on a case by case basis. For example, with the assistance of my GP, I could make a case to the HSE in respect of my condition being classed as long-term and obtain a long-term illness card.

Only problem with that is when the other 300,000 people with asthma do the same thing. Admin costs on dealing with the thousands of requests would be astronomical, especially since its the HSE!

Inhalers are a huge proportion of the medicines expenditure, there is already in place the GMS, which makes it virtually free (Less the co-pay), and the DPS, which makes the most you pay €144 per month. There are already ample provisions for asthma care. The Long-term illness scheme was set up to cover the cost of the following conditions:

• Acute Leukaemia
• Mental handicap
• Cerebral Palsy
• Mental Illness (in a person under 16)
• Cystic Fibrosis
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Diabetes Insipidus
• Muscular Dystrophies
• Diabetes Mellitus
• Parkinsonism
• Epilepsy
• Phenylketonuria
• Haemophilia
• Spina Bifida
• Hydrocephalus
• Conditions arising from the use of Thalidomide

All very serious, conditions with huge impacts on patient quality of life, and in some cases life-span. Its almost a bit insulting to suggest that your asthma, while it may be severe, deserves the same level of government assistance as these conditions.

Frigga_92

sleepyheadh wrote: »

Its almost a bit insulting to suggest that your asthma, while it may be severe, deserves the same level of government assistance as these conditions.

Ah look, there's no need for that. You know the point I'm trying to make, there's no need for the dramatisation.
Anyway, as already said twice now, this is way off topic so I'm out.

sleepyheadh

Frigga_92 wrote: »

Ah look, there's no need for that. You know the point I'm trying to make, there's no need for the dramatisation.
Anyway, as already said twice now, this is way off topic so I'm out.

I obviously don't know the point you are trying to make, and there was no dramatisation involved either, just a outline of the facts.

K-9

rom wrote: »

Many people don't know that this is often the case that a prescriptions off the Drugs payment schemes can be cheaper. Many use the scheme as a way to register all their prescriptions with a single chemist so they can use it for their Med 1 at the end of year for their P21 balancing statement on their tax. However if the saving is more than the possible tax rebate between them then you are better off paying off the scheme.

The limit is very high and only those with a longer term illness benefit.

I got a nasal spray just now that is 47 euro on the scheme or 37 euro off. pharmacist says its always worth asking as it may save you money and if you don't do the Med 1 it may be a single pick the smaller number.

I was paying about €30 a month for depression medication in 3 different chemists, one beside my surgery does it for €12.

I don't know the ins and outs of it whatsoever, other than he asked me if generic was okay on my first visit, but I can't argue with the price saving!

The GMS receipt print out says €32 so I don't know how he does it. He also advised me to get a 3 or 6 month prescription.

sleepyheadh

K-9 wrote: »

I was paying about €30 a month for depression medication in 3 different chemists, one beside my surgery does it for €12.

I don't know the ins and outs of it whatsoever, other than he asked me if generic was okay on my first visit, but I can't argue with the price saving!

The GMS receipt print out says €32 so I don't know how he does it. He also advised me to get a 3 or 6 month prescription.

The HSE reimburse the pharmacists to the reference price for that drug.This is the amount they are willing to pay for a particular drug. Therefore, if the pharmacist can prescribe a cheaper medication, i.e €12, they have earned an extra €20.

It may seem like the HSE are losing money doing this, but its really a money saver!

angeldelight

sleepyheadh wrote: »

The HSE reimburse the pharmacists to the reference price for that drug.This is the amount they are willing to pay for a particular drug. Therefore, if the pharmacist can prescribe a cheaper medication, i.e €12, they have earned an extra €20.

It may seem like the HSE are losing money doing this, but its really a money saver!

That's not really how it works... The HSE only gets involved if the person goes over €144 per month. The reference price has no relevance for private prescriptions under this threshold.

sleepyheadh

angeldelight wrote: »

That's not really how it works... The HSE only gets involved if the person goes over €144 per month. The reference price has no relevance for private prescriptions under this threshold.

The poster appears to be on the GMS?!

And don't worry I know how Phase 1 Reference pricing works :rolleyes:

total former

sleepyheadh wrote: »

The poster appears to be on the GMS?!

Then they wouldn't be paying anything for it... (apart from the flat €2.50 fee)

_Tombstone_

Seems like every post in this thread is contradicted. No one seems to have a clue.