You really have no idea how things work, do you?

 

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I successfully predicted you wouldn't try to get insurance companies to buy all your stuff for you because you actually know it wouldn't lower the price.

 

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Better than the government, but that's setting the bar pretty low.

 

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So, an insurance company goes to a maker of contraceptives. "We expect to pay for 10 million sets of birth control pills a month. What kind of discount can you give us. We checked with Acme and they offered a 20% discount."

Insurance companies will not only be able to get the pills much more cheaply than an individual could, they also realize they will save money on every woman who takes birth control pills. It's win-win.

 

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People get them from pharmacies, not from pill makers.

I'm surprised you didn't know this.

And btw many times the pharmacies charge the insurance companies more than they charge people paying cash. In fact there was just a thread on the subject right here on the Outpost a few days ago.

 

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You are embarrassing yourself.

 

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It's certain that one of us is.

Ask your wife where she used to get her pills and find out which.

 

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I don't have a wife.

A woman who doesn't have insurance goes to a pharmacy and pays $20. for a month's supply of pills.

A woman with insurance goes to a pharmacy and shows her insurance card and walks away with a month's supply of pills.

The woman pays about $15. a month for the birth control rider.

The woman pays less. The insurance company saves money by not having to pay for pregnancy care or for 26 years of insurance on the kid.

Drug company gets less per pill but makes it up in volume.

Win-win-win.

 

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I do have a wife. There's no "birth control rider" on our insurance plan.

Insurance companies have overhead and profit. You're adding a middle man to the equation. Even if they got the price down (and they don't) it still wouldn't change the fact that it would cost more because of the extra layer.

At least I've got you to realize that women buy their pills from a pharmacy and not directly from a drug company. We're making progress even if it's baby steps.

 

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Then you must live in one of the 22 states that don't require birth control coverage. Sucks for you.

And it still doesn't make any difference where a woman buys the pills. What matters is can the woman or can the insurance company negotiate a lower price for the pills.

Under the new coverage, the woman will get a rider directly from the insurance company. If the rider costs $25 a month and she is currently paying $20. then, she will not take the rider. She will only take the rider if it is cheaper. I have faith that the insurance companies will find a way to give her a rate under $20 and still make money. Apparently, you don't. Why do you have such little faith in the power of the market?

 

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