Holy Hell

Went to the pharmacy to pick up testing strips for my new meter and a couple of glucagon kits.

I was nervous when I went to pick these up because they said they only had the testing strips in cases of 200.

Generally, testing strips cost a little less than a dollar a strip. One of the reasons I was using my other meter is because I could get the strips for a "deal" price of 50 for $29.99.

So I was ready, even with insurance, for a bill of at least $40-$60.

My bill, for all 200 strips, with insurance: $10

My bill, for all 200 strips, without insurance: $180.87

Sweet holy hell.

Two glucagon kits, with insurance: $30

Two glucogon kits, without insurance: $170.39

How do drug companies sleep at night? It's like, with insurance, you're paying the reasonable cost. There's this incredible assumption that drug companies make, that everybody's going to have insurance, that the people with insurance...

Yeah, it's just incredible to me, still. After the last year of paying crackpot prices for drugs, this is all just insanely surreal.

It's like, staying alive is actually affordable. Or something.