Utah came up with a great idea to save big money on prescription drugs: Fly public employees who need the most expensive meds to Mexico, where they can purchase the same drugs they’d get in US America for about half what they cost here. And as an incentive, the program, called “RX Tourism,” pays airfare for the employee and one family member, plus $500 per trip to get a 90-day supply of meds. The savings in costs to the state insurance plan more than cover the cost of the travel and the $500 cash payouts. It’s such a big savings for some employers that there’s an entire niche industry built around arranging trips for Americans to purchase drugs at Mexican hospitals. The Salt Lake Tribune ran a jaw-dropping story on the arrangement Sunday.
You know, maybe what we laughingly call our healthcare “system” is completely fucked up if those are the lengths employers and states are going to so they can cover pricey prescription drugs. But at least it’s not socialism!
But the cold equations mean that it’s literally far cheaper, by thousands of dollars, to fly teachers and office workers — plus a friend! — from Salt Lake City to San Diego, then drive ’em to Hospital Angeles, in a nice upscale part of Tijuana, instead of paying what US pharmaceutical companies would charge. The program is targeted at patients who need “any of the dozen or so specialty drugs — mostly treatments for multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune disorders — that PEHP identified as having the most potential for savings.”
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Article URL : https://www.wonkette.com/utah-pays-public-employees-to-fill-prescriptions-in-mexico-and-isnt-that-normal-af