Sharing my recent experience and conclusions.

Doctor wrote medicine, 2 sets of different tablets for 10 weeks. I walked to shoppers drug mart and got it dispensed. Total dispensing fee around $22.50. My insurance pays 90% so total bill was around 28$ for 4 weeks medicine. As you can see I paid heavy dispensing fee. We all are aware that unless we go to Costco , dispensing fee is enormous.
I was given 4 weeks medicine with 2 refills. a Week later it came to my mind that I should ask if there is dispensing fee with each refill ! and As I suspected it was, means I will pay around 68$ only in dispensing fee by the time i finish all refills. My out of pocket expense on medicine actual cost would have been only approx $18.

I walked again to shopper's drug mart , switched on my video and asked questions. here is summary of my learning.

Qn : What is the reason that refills are generally proposed ?
Ans: I was given two flimsy reasons a) Either Doctor writes on the prescription Or b) Insurance allows only certain quantity of medicine and recommends the refills.


Qn: Will there be dispensing fee on every refill ?
Ans : Yes, each refill. !! Not only there is dispensing fee on each refill, there is dispensing fee on every line item on the prescription.

Qn : What was the reason that I was given option of refill ? Did my doctor write refill or is my insurance forcing it to be ?
Ans : None. Shoppers Drug Mart employee took a decision and decided refills. Of course to enhance the revenue from dispensing.


I asked for medicine for remaining 6 weeks without me paying the dispensing fee multiple times . They worked with my insurance to revert earlier transaction and provided me complete set of 10 weeks. I walked out like a gentleman, much learned man. Though I have the video, I haven o intention to publicise it. Wanted to share this, May be some of you are already aware, still think some of you who are not so regular with medicine will benefit.

Never agree for small Refills. It is overhead.

One thing that I have learnt, during my time in Canada, was that every thing is designed to protect the consumer. Refills in this case.

There are some companies who will work to exploit some loopholes but I am sure that natives (for the lack of another better word) might have found out a work about way for it.

In Canada, native born people have always fought attrocities.

I will wait for others to fill in with their opinion.

As far as I know, I have never been in a situation (for the 9 years in canada) that I have stayed in for which refills had been prescribed.

Murali

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I am a Gents and not a Ladies.

Mr Sang-Ho you should have inquired around. I have a prescription that gets filled every 90 days. The drug store you are talking about took >20 bucks when I went to them since they were located right next to the clinic. Since then, I moved to a walmart in the neighborhood and get my meds filled for zero bucks. So it is worth first asking around where you have no additional charges. Why do some charge and others do not? I have no clue and not going to worry about it. More than 2 years later, I still go to walmart whenever I need any prescription filled and advise others to do the same.

That's good to know that Walmart does not charge for a refill. Is it 'cause you negotiated with them or is that their policy.

@GlobalIndian, your location shows as NB. If so, may be rules are different in different Provinces / cities

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SS
Reiki Grand Master

Costco is the cheapest in dispensing fee and they can afford to operate at a loss as long as you are coming out with $300-$400 worth of goods in your shopping cart. Pharmacies go for dispensing fee since profit from markup on medication is not enough to cover all their costs including salary of pharmacist.

In your case may be the pharmacist broke your prescription into refills (for profit) but usually doctors would give you medication for x months with x refills, in that case they will be following what the doctor ordered. Now some doctors have started charging a fee if you do not visit their office and instead ask them for refill to be faxed to pharmacy.

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Give free food http://www.thehungersite.com ||

Here is my understanding on prescription refills. If the medicine is for short term use and there is a possibility that it may not be required after taking for certain time, the doctors provide the initial prescription for that duration and refills thereafter. If the medicine is for long term use, the doctors provide the medicine for 3 months, considering that the patient will visit the doctor for followup checkup and get another refill at that time. Refills less than 3 months for long term medicines won't make any sense to me.

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A Delhite in Toronto

Costco is much cheaper overall..

eg : if you have medicine worth 55$ + 5$ dispensing fee = 60$
in costco you ll end up paying 10% of 60$(i.e 6$) .. whereas in any other drug store they ll charge you 10% of medicine + dispensing charge, which in above scenario ll come out to be 10% of 55$ + 5$ = 5.5 + 5 = 10.5$