I have an extended family member that is going through chemotherapy and, as a side effect, has had to have a feeding tube installed since he can't eat normally.

He goes through a minimum of 3 8oz cans a day of formula. The supplier bills each can at $7.15 (per 8oz can). He is on Medicare, and they pick up the tab.

The identical product can be ordered from Amazon for ~$1.50 per can and they will ship it free to your door. Just do a search on Jevity on Amazon for examples. There is a wide variety of formulas available depending on the patient's requirements.

Gastric feeding tubes are becoming more and more common. Many elderly patients require them (some permanently) and preemies and some special needs children do as well.

The formula for them is a multi-billion-dollar business where insurance companies pay full retail without blinking and the suppliers make a fortune because of it.

This isn't a case of name-brand versus generics. It is the exact same product from different suppliers. If you were buying it yourself, you'd be shopping around for the best price, but, since someone else is paying for it, noone cares.

Upwards of a million people use enteral feeding. Switching suppliers would save ~$6K/year per patient. That is $6B in annual savings simply by switching suppliers.

yup...not just medicare either...this type of stuff happens for regular insurance

walmart for example has a butt ton of $4 drugs


if you have insurance they will charge your insurance full price AND you still pay your copay...so you end up paying $10-30 out of pocket and your insurance gets billed whatever for an otherwise $4 prescription

they pulled this mod on me once and i went home and looked at their list online and then pitched a fit...

 

-----signature-----

Government subsidizes laziness, greed and stupidity. Old news.

But to the big government support team, they love it. They love all the corporatism & fascism that government enables in the name of their precious socialism. They love the abundance of overpaid jobs for lazy cretins that government enables. They love to believe in and prop up the lie that if you're against big government, you're against the working man...when the EXACT opposite is the truth.

The big government support team are the useful slaves to the system. Entrepreneurial spirits, seeking to make your own path, taking care of your own family, the liberty to make your own successes or failures. Those are all a terrifying prospect to a big government support team member. Oh no, can't have that.


EVERYONE IN! NOBODY OUT! EVERYONE IN! NOBODY OUT! EVERYONE IN! NOBODY OUT!


Fkin zombies

However, if it would be socialism, all that surplus money would be invested in better hospitals, roads and other public service,
and not into yachts and mansions for corporate leaders, You're right about "laziness, greed and stupidity", but in your case its
capitalism

 

-----signature-----

The American government is borrowing (against the will of the people) 41 cents of every dollar it spends. So if you think there is a surplus, you might be clueless.

Too many old people!

 

-----signature-----

How about you stop spending on defense more than rest of the globe combined?
You can't...but its because those corporate overlords hold government in pocket,
and not other way around

 

-----signature-----

The funny part is some people think that if the gov't wasn't involved this would go away.

 

-----signature-----

Again, you don't know what you're talking about. The buck stops with the American people. If we collectively weren't retards, we would be voting out en-mass the politicians that enable corporatism.

The part you are complaining about is the part where people allow themselves into be duped for voting for establishment corporatist candidates. The establishment can only get away with what it does because too many people are too damn stupid to turn off the establishment media (including talk radio) and go do their own research.

Welcome to planet Earth. It ain't gonna change, get to used operating under these conditions.

This is why you and BT are so entertaining. You both think that society is capable of managing itself.

 

-----signature-----