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Before making a major financial decision you
should consult a qualified professional.
Pharmacies may charge different dispensing
fees, and drug prices. Here
are the results of a survey done in 2011 of 5 pharmacies in one BC city for
the same prescription, also showing how much you might pay if
your prescriptions were covered by BC's PharmaCare
Plan. It's now 2022, but the differences would probably be similar now.
Store #
Drug
Cost
Dispensing
Fee
Total
Cost
BC
PharmaCare
pays *
Your
Cost
1
$88.07
$5.98
$94.05
$94.05
nil
2
$91.13
$6.48
$97.61
$97.61
nil
3
$92.49
$6.98
$99.47
$98.47
$1.00
4
$92.19
$8.49
$100.68
$99.98
$0.70
5
$103.38
$8.99
$112.37
$100.09
$12.28
* BC PharmaCare (in 2011) would pay up to $91.49 for the drug cost, and
up to $8.60 dispensing fee - this is once you have reached your family annual
maximum, after which your coverage is 100% of the prescription cost.
Provincial drug plans set maximum prices that they will
pay for eligible drugs. Any excess charged by a more
expensive pharmacy will not be covered.
As you can see, there can be a BIG difference in price between pharmacies, so it
may pay to shop around. However, if the cheapest pharmacy requires a long
drive, make sure you're not spending the difference in gas to get there!
Also, there's something to be said for having a pharmacist that you know and
trust, and who knows your medical issues. This can often be worth
the extra amount paid.
If you are covered by extended health benefits, most of the
cost will be paid by your plan, but if you have an annual or
a lifetime maximum you may reach those limits much earlier
by shopping at the expensive pharmacy.
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