Since we've been here, A. and I have been getting prescription refills on our medicines, and been pleasantly surprised to find out that they are hundreds of dollars cheaper in Germany than back home. Our insurance here doesn't cover pre-existing conditions, so our prescriptions have to come out of our own pockets. When you're volunteers, the cost of medicines can be really stressful, and having the cost come WAY down has removed a large pressure from our financial bottom line.
Yesterday, I went in to the doctor for the first time to get a new prescription for my migraine medicine. I'd brought about 9 months' supply with me from the States and only recently began getting low, so I hadn't needed to buy any in Germany yet.
The doctor said, "Do you want 9 or 12 pills?" My old insurance only allowed me to get 9 pills every 30 days, so without hesitation I said "Twelve." He told me that the prescription would be 41 euros. I tried not to let my mouth hang open. That is only $56. Previously -- without insurance -- the generic version of my medicine would have cost $180 for 9 pills.
I asked the doctor why all our medicines cost about 30% of what they did in the States.
"Oh, because we make them here."
I'd learned recently through a friend who works in the U.S. medical industry that many medical instruments used in the U.S. are invented and/or manufactured in Germany. I wasn't aware that pharmaceuticals were widely made here, too. I guess if you can buy it in the country where it's made, you can really cut down on the extra costs of shipping, duties and customs, middle men, etc.
Yay for German ingenuity!
No comments:
Post a Comment