Cost conscious

I fill my regular prescriptions at Costco. Each receipt clearly shows the cost plus the fee of $4.49. Manitoba pharmacies are allowed to charge the cost of the medications plus a dispensing fee.

This week I received a one-off prescription for a short-term med. One a day for seven days. I decided to drop it off at the closest pharmacy to my home, located at major grocery store.

The instructions stated one a day for five days, which caused some confusion. The pharmacy gave me five tablets and said they’d contact my doctor to clarify the mix-up. Cost of the five tablets was $14.50. The breakdown between the medication cost and fee was not shown.

The following day, the pharmacy called and said I should come and pick up the two additional tablets and that they would not charge an additional fee. The cost of two tablets: 36 cents!

This indicates that the cost of the initial five tablets was 90 cents, revealing its dispensing fee to be $13.60 — more than three times the fee charged by Costco.

Why do regulators not require all pharmacies to provide the breakdown between the cost of the meds and the dispensing fee? Transparency matters.

STUART GAULD Winnipeg