Telehealth vs in-person prescribing — my experience with both

Dr.PeteFamMed said:

The list price and the price I actually pay differ by a factor of six depending on which of four routes I use, and none of that is transparent from…

Financial impact of cost and coverage weight loss beyond medication cost:

• Groceries: SAVED $262/month (eating less)
• Restaurants: SAVED $152/month (fewer meals out)
• Alcohol: SAVED $102/month (stopped drinking)
• Life insurance: Premium REDUCED by $32/month (lower BMI)
• Copays: SAVED $52/month (fewer BP/cholesterol meds)

Net impact after medication cost: approximately BREAKING EVEN. The medication pays for itself through reduced food spending and healthcare costs. This surprised me.

Dr.PeteFamMed said:

The list price and the price I actually pay differ by a factor of six depending on which of four routes I use, and none of that is transparent from…

Pushing back on Dr.PeteFamMed here. The affordability discussion here usually stops at individual tactics. At list price this class is out of reach for most of the people who would benefit, and no amount of appeal strategy changes that — it is a pricing problem wearing a paperwork costume.

RetaRick_CA said:

The affordability discussion here usually stops at individual tactics.

RetaRick_CA said:

...regarding the discontinuation data for cost and coverage...

I want to reframe the discontinuation narrative. We don't say "insulin fails because blood sugar rises when you stop it." We don't say "antihypertensives fail because BP goes up without them."

Why do we apply different logic to anti-obesity medications? The answer is stigma. We still, unconsciously, believe obesity is about willpower rather than biology. The discontinuation data actually PROVES it's a chronic biological condition requiring ongoing treatment.

This reframing isn't semantic — it has implications for insurance coverage, treatment duration, and patient expectations.

Dr.SurgeonPGH said:

Financial impact of cost and coverage weight loss beyond medication cost: Groceries: SAVED $262/month (eating less) Restaurants: SAVED $152/month…

This matches mine closely enough to be worth saying so out loud. I had assumed I was the exception until I read this.