It pays to shop around for prescription drugs

When December rolls around, we all know that it “tis the season.”

Mark White is Editor of The News Journal.

I am not talking about Christmas and the holidays although I will get to some of those festive topics before I conclude this column.

For those of us with jobs at non-government businesses, November and December bring about the time of year when your business typically changes health insurance carriers.

Sometimes your company keeps the same carrier. Sometimes the prices of your coverage and your co-pays for your medication stay roughly the same. Sometimes the insurance carrier changes though, and/or the co-payments on your medications change.

I bring up the topic of health insurance changes to pass along a cautionary story that my wonderful wife Cecelia experienced recently, and to brag on her shopping expertise.

She works in the quasi-government sector in the mental health field. In the case of many government workers, insurance tends to change at the end of the state fiscal year, which is June 30.

Cecelia’s insurance changed during that time period, including the coverage plan for her medications, which led her to make an important discovery.

She has three medications that she has to get filled monthly.

The price tag for those three medications combined jumped to $55 a month at the national pharmacy chain where she had been doing business after her insurance changed.

This is where having a frugal wife, who really likes to find analyze things and find bargains comes in handy.

After a couple of months of this, she started to check around to see if she could get the medications cheaper someplace else. At another national pharmacy chain, she discovered that the price was the same, but she looked further. She found quite the price difference at some local pharmacies rather than the national chains where she had been looking.

After making the change the price tag for her three monthly medications went from $55 total at the national pharmacy chain to a $11 total at the Prescription Shop, which is located along Kentucky Ave. here in Corbin.

To be clear, I am not talking about the price difference of switching from brand name prescriptions to generic prescriptions. We are talking about the EXACT same medications. It really shocked both of us about the price difference.

While the hours at the small local pharmacy aren’t as good as those for the national chain, the price difference of $44 per month more than makes up for it.

As people are in the shopping mood and many will have their health insurance changing over the next month or so, I thought it would be a good time to share this story, and point out that you might want to shop around when it comes to prescription drug prices. Don’t just assume that the national pharmacies will be the cheapest.

Now for a few Christmas items before I conclude this column.

• I thought the inaugural Williamsburg Hanging of the Greens went well Saturday night. The Williamsburg Community Choir performed a handful of Christmas carols, Calvary Missionary Baptist Church Pastor Travis Jones read the Christmas story, the wreath on the stage at River Fog Park was lit, and the band concluded the event by singing “Christmas in a Smalltown.”

Over 50 people turned out, which is a nice turnout for a first time event.

• If you are looking for some more Christmas events, the Williamsburg Independent School “Christmas in a Small Town” performance will take place in the school gym starting at 7 p.m. This is a nice night of Christmas music performed by the Williamsburg school choirs and bands.

Prior to that there will be a chili supper from 5 – 6:30 p.m. in the school cafeteria. The cost is $5 for the chili supper. Admission to the concert is free. I’m also told that a certain jolly fellow in a bright red suit will be on hand for family pictures to be taken.

Also, the annual Williamsburg Christmas parade is taking place next Saturday starting at 6 p.m.

This is usually a pretty nice parade. Given the fact that the city is offering first, second and third place prize money for best float in three categories, I have the feeling some local residents and groups will get creative.

After the parade, stick around Bill Woods Park for some after parade festivities, including the town ornament exchange, the hanging of the memorial tree ornaments and free hot chocolate or apple cider.

Let’s keep our fingers crossed hoping for good weather.