Wal-Mart is more frustrating than...

If you have seen the current DirecTV commercials on television, then you will know where I got the idea for this thread's title.

Let me preface by saying that I am generally not a Wal-Mart basher, but recent events have made me rethink that stance.

My wife had knee surgery last week, and I am off work until later this week, staying home to help her during a little of her long rehab process. Today, her family doctor issued a prescription for her, and foolishly I told him to call it into the nearest Wal-Mart pharmacy, 18 miles from my home. When I drove over to pick up the prescription, I was taken aback by the higher price. I always assumed Wal-mart's pharmacy had the $4/$10 prescriptions for almost everything the doctor might order. When they told me the price, I asked for a copy of the prescription so I could take it to other pharmacies for comparison pricing. They quickly informed me that they could not release the prescription to me due to federal HIPA laws. According to Wal-Mart's pharmacy staff, the only one they could release that information to would be my wife since it was her prescription. Really? Then how can they allow me to pay for her prescription and pick it up without her present? I think it was nothing more than a ploy to keep me prisoner at their pharmacy. There is a K-Mart pharmacy close to this Wal-Mart store, and a Kroger pharmacy only a couple miles away, so they were afraid of what I might find out at those.

Needless to say, I am going to comparison shop before we refill it, and I will never again have a prescription called into Wal-Mart's pharmacy.

Word to the wise...

I hope for a speedy recovery for your wife! Sounds like she is in good hands!

I think healthcare costs are only on the rise so it is hard for me to answer.

I can shed some light on the HIPAA law. This a privacy law that was enacted a few years back. It is a pain in the ass for those of us in healthcare because it is more difficult to share information among ourselves about patients and it also limits the ability to share information unless there is explicit consent from patients. Unfortunately, this law creates a lot of confusion and many people will err on the side of caution and be weary about sharing info. Of course, the situation you have is confusing because you are indeed picking up your wife's medication. HIPAA law, though, does not permit them to hand you a copy of the prescription itself. It is nuts. You should still be able to check on pricing with the medication itself.

Thanks for the information, TrekMD. It sounds like time to write my congressman and senators. I just don't see how I could reasonably shop other pharmacies without a copy of the prescription. They would refuse to fill it otherwise. It just seems to run counter-intuitive to free market laws. If I cannot effectively shop other pharmacies, then I am hostage to one pharmacy's rates due to supposedly well-intended HIPPA laws.

You should be able to get pricing from any pharmacy without a prescription.