5 ms·

> People are buying those for them self (well, still it's amoxycycline), just check any comment, most of them have something like: my 'fish' is better, $300 sav

> People are buying those for them self (well, still it's amoxycycline), just check any comment, most of them have something like: my 'fish' is better, $300 saved. Where are people being charged anywhere near $300 for amoxicillin? The highest cash price I have ever seen is $16 per course. Even if you factor in the urgent Care visit to diagnose the need and get the script, and pay cash for that as well, it still comes out less.

radoslawc 9y ago
I don't know, I'd say that was price with doctor's fee, or just exaggeration
- vonmoltke 9y ago
  That was part of my point. Even adding the full price of an office visit shouldn't get near $300, unless their idea if an "office visit" is hitting the nearest ER.
  - Broken_Hippo 9y ago
    If you don't have the $60-$100 or more to pay for the office visit or urgent care, the ER is one's only choice because they bill you later. It's all well and good to tell folks they should wait, but waiting a month to save the money isn't always an option. And waiting isn't an option if the sick one is your child, lest you get in trouble for neglect.
  - rxhernandez 9y ago
    I think I had to visit the doctor three times before they prescribed me it. The first time was too early to give me anything (I've had this issue multiple times so I went in the first day I had symptoms). The second time they gave me something less potent. The third time they gave finally gave me it. That comes to around 3x75(doctor visit)+3x10(gas)=$261. I can imagine it costing more if they lived farther from a doctor.
    - mixmastamyk 9y ago
      Should add your time to the tally as well.
      - DoreenMichele 9y ago
        Plus the cost of the two rounds of drugs that were ineffective. Plus any other incidental expenses, such as OTC meds taken for symptom management because of not getting the drug needed right off the bat, takeout food due to being too sick to cook, etc.
  - joe5150 9y ago
    if I called my doctor today I would be very surprised if I could get an appointment earlier than April
    - emodendroket 9y ago
      You could probably get an appointment with an NP or something.
      - Broken_Hippo 9y ago
        Not always - some offices are simply like that. I was shopping for a doctor once (while sick, bad idea). A couple of them couldn't get me in to see anyone in the office for 4-6 weeks. This was not a specialist. Naturally, I chose another doctor. This is more difficult when a doctor you have seen for a while becomes this busy for whatever reason.
        joe5150 9y ago
        yeah it’s like that at my doctor; if I’m willing to see an FNP or a resident it’s still at least several weeks’ wait. so the alternative is urgent care or the ER, which both mean sinking at least half the day waiting.
kendallpark 9y ago
Amoxicillin is often free at grocery store pharmacies. This has to be an exaggeration. https://www.goodrx.com/amoxicillin https://www.goodrx.com/amoxicillin
- crankylinuxuser 9y ago
  > Amoxicillin is often free at grocery store pharmacies. This has to be an exaggeration. You're right. IF the gatekeeper (read: primary care physician) prescribes the drugs, they are cheap or free. Do you know how much a doctor visit is? --------------------------------- EDIT: because of braindead HN throttling, responding to you tptacek I've been there, where I didn't have $20 in my pocket, let alone $100. So have others. I found this https://www.amazon.com/AmoxFin-500MG-50CT/dp/B077GGQH72/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1517597932&sr=8-1&keywords=fish+antibiotic https://www.amazon.com/AmoxFin-500MG-50CT/dp/B077GGQH72/ref=... "Great product with quick delivery. My fish felt better without having to go to the doctor." "Everyone healthy now. No need to take the fish to the doctor. Male angelfish learned a good lesson and now healthy again. Great Product." "Same pill markings as the real ones the fish doctor gives me (only 1 ingredient). Saved me a $300 visit to the fish practitioner who owns his own chain of upscale fish clinics. Who needs single payer? I have amazon PRIME, baby." "This is exactly what the “Vet” would prescribe. The pills match the correct color and code for the right stuff needed to treat bacterial infection for “fish”."
  - tptacek 9y ago
    $80-$100 at the Walgreens Take Care clinic, or at CVS's equivalent.
    - trevyn 9y ago
      There's also an app that does $99 housecalls -- heal.com I suspect you could find "telemedicine" services that would prescribe an antibiotic for less.
    - emodendroket 9y ago
      I imagine that for the kind of person who does not have health insurance $100 is a pretty substantial out-of-pocket expense.
jackhack 9y ago
$300? I can believe that. It is a fool's wager to ever underestimate what could be charged for the most mundane things at a hospital. OK, two examples of how this could happen: A few years ago I was charged $500 for a 1 meter length of IV tubing to connect a saline bag to my IV line. That was the Obamacare "negotiated price" -- it was substantially higher before this "negotiation" though I don't recall precisely, I remember thinking I don't spend that much on food for a month. When my daughter was young, we took her to the ER due to a particularly severe sore throat. A nurse sweetly asked my daughter if she was thirsty (yes). Nurse went to the soda machine across the hall, selected a ginger ale, poured a bit of it into a small paper cup (disposing of 2/3rds of the drink) and handed it to my daughter. We got the bill a month later. Line item "Glucose - $30" Medical care is completely, utterly broken in the USA. For those who doubt, just try asking what something will cost before it happens. I'll leave you to discover the punch line for yourself.
- vonmoltke 9y ago
  > $300? I can believe that. It is a fool's wager to ever underestimate what could be charged for the most mundane things at a hospital. If that were the situation, buying them off Amazon is not an available alternative.

radoslawc 9y ago

I don't know, I'd say that was price with doctor's fee, or just exaggeration

vonmoltke 9y ago
That was part of my point. Even adding the full price of an office visit shouldn't get near $300, unless their idea if an "office visit" is hitting the nearest ER.
- Broken_Hippo 9y ago
  If you don't have the $60-$100 or more to pay for the office visit or urgent care, the ER is one's only choice because they bill you later. It's all well and good to tell folks they should wait, but waiting a month to save the money isn't always an option. And waiting isn't an option if the sick one is your child, lest you get in trouble for neglect.
- rxhernandez 9y ago
  I think I had to visit the doctor three times before they prescribed me it. The first time was too early to give me anything (I've had this issue multiple times so I went in the first day I had symptoms). The second time they gave me something less potent. The third time they gave finally gave me it. That comes to around 3x75(doctor visit)+3x10(gas)=$261. I can imagine it costing more if they lived farther from a doctor.
  - mixmastamyk 9y ago
    Should add your time to the tally as well.
    - DoreenMichele 9y ago
      Plus the cost of the two rounds of drugs that were ineffective. Plus any other incidental expenses, such as OTC meds taken for symptom management because of not getting the drug needed right off the bat, takeout food due to being too sick to cook, etc.
- joe5150 9y ago
  if I called my doctor today I would be very surprised if I could get an appointment earlier than April
  - emodendroket 9y ago
    You could probably get an appointment with an NP or something.
    - Broken_Hippo 9y ago
      Not always - some offices are simply like that. I was shopping for a doctor once (while sick, bad idea). A couple of them couldn't get me in to see anyone in the office for 4-6 weeks. This was not a specialist. Naturally, I chose another doctor. This is more difficult when a doctor you have seen for a while becomes this busy for whatever reason.
      - joe5150 9y ago
        yeah it’s like that at my doctor; if I’m willing to see an FNP or a resident it’s still at least several weeks’ wait. so the alternative is urgent care or the ER, which both mean sinking at least half the day waiting.

kendallpark 9y ago

Amoxicillin is often free at grocery store pharmacies. This has to be an exaggeration. https://www.goodrx.com/amoxicillin https://www.goodrx.com/amoxicillin

crankylinuxuser 9y ago
> Amoxicillin is often free at grocery store pharmacies. This has to be an exaggeration. You're right. IF the gatekeeper (read: primary care physician) prescribes the drugs, they are cheap or free. Do you know how much a doctor visit is? --------------------------------- EDIT: because of braindead HN throttling, responding to you tptacek I've been there, where I didn't have $20 in my pocket, let alone $100. So have others. I found this https://www.amazon.com/AmoxFin-500MG-50CT/dp/B077GGQH72/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1517597932&sr=8-1&keywords=fish+antibiotic https://www.amazon.com/AmoxFin-500MG-50CT/dp/B077GGQH72/ref=... "Great product with quick delivery. My fish felt better without having to go to the doctor." "Everyone healthy now. No need to take the fish to the doctor. Male angelfish learned a good lesson and now healthy again. Great Product." "Same pill markings as the real ones the fish doctor gives me (only 1 ingredient). Saved me a $300 visit to the fish practitioner who owns his own chain of upscale fish clinics. Who needs single payer? I have amazon PRIME, baby." "This is exactly what the “Vet” would prescribe. The pills match the correct color and code for the right stuff needed to treat bacterial infection for “fish”."
- tptacek 9y ago
  $80-$100 at the Walgreens Take Care clinic, or at CVS's equivalent.
  - trevyn 9y ago
    There's also an app that does $99 housecalls -- heal.com I suspect you could find "telemedicine" services that would prescribe an antibiotic for less.
  - emodendroket 9y ago
    I imagine that for the kind of person who does not have health insurance $100 is a pretty substantial out-of-pocket expense.

jackhack 9y ago

$300? I can believe that. It is a fool's wager to ever underestimate what could be charged for the most mundane things at a hospital. OK, two examples of how this could happen: A few years ago I was charged $500 for a 1 meter length of IV tubing to connect a saline bag to my IV line. That was the Obamacare "negotiated price" -- it was substantially higher before this "negotiation" though I don't recall precisely, I remember thinking I don't spend that much on food for a month. When my daughter was young, we took her to the ER due to a particularly severe sore throat. A nurse sweetly asked my daughter if she was thirsty (yes). Nurse went to the soda machine across the hall, selected a ginger ale, poured a bit of it into a small paper cup (disposing of 2/3rds of the drink) and handed it to my daughter. We got the bill a month later. Line item "Glucose - $30" Medical care is completely, utterly broken in the USA. For those who doubt, just try asking what something will cost before it happens. I'll leave you to discover the punch line for yourself.

vonmoltke 9y ago
> $300? I can believe that. It is a fool's wager to ever underestimate what could be charged for the most mundane things at a hospital. If that were the situation, buying them off Amazon is not an available alternative.