[Feel good story] Man pays for people's meds for 10 years

[Daehawk]

I thought we had a good news thread but couldn't find it. Maybe we need one. Though good news seems far between now.

An Alabama man funded medications for people who needed it for ten years. No one knew until he died.

Walker remembers a family coming in about ten years ago needing to buy medication, but the bill was too high.
Luckily, Walker had a secret up her sleeve. She grabbed some cash which had been given to her by an anonymous donor just a few days before.
"So you can immediately see some relief on their face," she said. "'Oh my goodness, we can get this. It's not going to affect us.'"
The man, known only at the time by Walker, was a regular. About ten years ago, he pulled her aside.
"And he said 'I have to ask you a question, do you ever have anybody that can't afford their medication?'" she remembered. "And I said, 'yeah that happens a lot.' And he just handed me a folded up bill and said 'I want you to use this next time that happens.'"
Then, it happened monthly. He would come in with a folded hundred dollar bill and a simple message; "You know what to do."
It became their little secret, which she kept for about a decade. Until she found out the man had died on New Year's Day at 80-years-old. She wondered if his family knew how many people he had helped.

Video at link also.

[hepcat]

Wow, that is uplifting as heck. Thanks!

[Unagi]

That is a nice story.

Seems a little strange, only in that I would expect most people that can't afford their medication don't even go to the pharmacist to 'try'. I'll try not to think too deeply about it all.

Nice story.

[LawBeefaroni]

That is a nice story.

Seems a little strange, only in that I would expect most people that can't afford their medication don't even go to the pharmacist to 'try'. I'll try not to think too deeply about it all.

Nice story.

We'll, often they get a prescription from a doctor/facility and go to fill it at the pharmacy and only then find out the cost. It may not be covered by their insurance or public aid, or their out-of-pocket cost is more than they can afford.

[Unagi]

That is a nice story.

Seems a little strange, only in that I would expect most people that can't afford their medication don't even go to the pharmacist to 'try'. I'll try not to think too deeply about it all.

Nice story.

We'll, often they get a prescription from a doctor/facility and go to fill it at the pharmacy and only then find out the cost. It may not be covered by their insurance or public aid, or their out-of-pocket cost is more than they can afford.

Yeah, I pictured that scene out too, and you are correct - it would happen enough. I just feel bad for the people in that community that didn't realize they could have tried - but had given up.

Sorry, just my frame of mind - I'm finding a way to find something sad in a nice story. I'll shut up.

[Skinypupy]

First off, huge kudos to that guy. What an awesome thing for him to have done.

However, that seems to be more of an incredibly sad commentary on American society. People can't afford to get the basic medicine they need unless some anonymous, random stranger happens to come in and picks up the bill for them. But sure, let's go with it being a nice story.

(sorry to be "that guy")

[hepcat]

That is a nice story.

Seems a little strange, only in that I would expect most people that can't afford their medication don't even go to the pharmacist to 'try'. I'll try not to think too deeply about it all.

Nice story.

We'll, often they get a prescription from a doctor/facility and go to fill it at the pharmacy and only then find out the cost. It may not be covered by their insurance or public aid, or their out-of-pocket cost is more than they can afford.

I rarely know how much my medication is going to cost when I get to the pharmacy.

First off, huge kudos to that guy. What an awesome thing for him to have done.

However, that seems to be more of an incredibly sad commentary on American society. People can't afford to get the basic medicine they need unless some anonymous, random stranger happens to come in and picks up the bill for them. But sure, let's go with it being a nice story.

(sorry to be "that guy")

Don't get me started on our broken health care system. I just had an MRI for some headache issues recently (nothing horrible found, thank god), but a procedure that was quoted to me as being between 775 to 2500 dollars turned out to be 9 grand. They can't even keep to their goddamn quotes. I was only out my deductible and I used my HSA to pay that, but the whole system needs to be torn down and rebuilt.

[Daehawk]

And overseas a lot of countries charge a whopping few hundred for an MRI. US health has stunk since sometime in the 70s and insurance. US healthcare isn't even the best any longer just the most expensive. Its a big factor in why the average life expectancy in the US has been dropping and is behind many countries.

[gilraen]

We'll, often they get a prescription from a doctor/facility and go to fill it at the pharmacy and only then find out the cost. It may not be covered by their insurance or public aid, or their out-of-pocket cost is more than they can afford.

I went to the Walgreens pharmacy and asked how much my prescription would be, and they quoted me almost $240 for a generic (yes, with insurance). I turned around and walked right out, went home, got a GoodRx coupon and got the same medication at Walmart pharmacy for under $20. That was a bit of a shocking revelation to me.

And overseas a lot of countries charge a whopping few hundred for an MRI.

I got an ankle MRI in Lithuania a few years back, for an Achilles injury. It was 155 euros at the fanciest, most expensive clinic in town.

[hepcat]

got a GoodRx coupon and got the same medication at Walmart pharmacy for under $20.

I just discovered these folks. I haven't needed them yet, as I don't take that many medications (just one for cholesterol and a rarely filled ambien prescription), but I'm keeping them in my back pocket just in case.