STICKER SHOCK at the Pharmacy 2025

So it’s the beginning of the year and I knew my meds would cost more. But I wasn’t prepared for one of my psych meds to cost 391.00 for a thirty-day supply. 

I did know that under the Inflation Reduction Act, that people on Medicare Part D plans would not have a $4000.00 “coverage gap,” or “donut hole,” as it was known, that annual out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs would be capped at $2000.00, instead. But this also meant that the insurance plans would have to pay more towards the cost of our meds than they used to. 

I knew that this year, 2025, there would be some changes in terms of payment structure. And what I ran into yesterday is that I have an annual deductible of $591.00, and until that deductible is met, I’m responsible for 100% of the cost of my meds. 

Man!

It didn’t used to be this bad at the beginning of the year. I mean, the copay was always larger in January, February and March, but I never had to cover 100% of the cost. My part D always paid a large chunk. 

Ok, and it’s my own fault because I didn’t opt for the monthly prescription drug payment plan that would have pro-rated the cost of my meds over the course of the year. The reason I didn’t was because then, my Part D insurance would have billed me once a month instead of having me pay for my meds at the pharmacy. This would have made it so that I could afford my drugs at the start of the year, but I didn’t want another monthly bill to have to pay, right? More paperwork, more paperwork. Will it ever stop? 

Bottom line: I’m hard-pressed to afford my psych meds and so far, haven’t paid for them yet. They’re sitting in a drawer over at CVS. Eventually I’ll suck it up and head back over there, but that day is not today.