Shop to Save Lots of Money in Health Care Expenditures

The Toledo Blade did a survey to compare prescription prices among area pharmacies. For one month of Lipitor, there was a $32 variance. Lisinopril varied from $25 to $4. Metformin was free at some pharmacies and $35 at another. Prices varied all over the map. Not one pharmacy was consistently cheaper than others. We did a similar survey about lab charges and found variances of hundreds of dollars. In general, hospital labs tended to be more expensive and tests drawn in doctor’s offices were less so. A few minutes on the telephone might save you lots of money if you comparison shop. See The Blade, November 6, 2011, page one.