I am in middle of an entire house down to the studs reno. I spent a lot of time on http://www.google.com/prdhp?hl=en&tab=wf doing research on prices. I went with the best prices, sometimes could not find any feedback and sat anxious until things arrived. In the end, I furnished a 2.5 bath, 2 sink kitchen for less than half of the local plumbing supply 'discounted' prices and ended up with higher end items. Here are the best places I've found: dealyard.com - if you can find what you want, the prices are just plain unbelievable on high end products, in a few cases, I paid 10% of list for discontinued styles of high end European items. we ordered seven faucets, one shower set, one shower/bath set, one roman bath set from here all arrived in perfect condition. was in three separate boxes, fed ex, the company only had signature required on one of the three boxes, so two boxes were left outside our home one day, and the third box needed signature - all three should have needed signature - weird glitch. Would suggest calling the company after placing order to make sure they require signature - I didn't do this. faucetdirect.com - ordered jacuzzi air tub and kohler cast iron bath tub. prices were the best for these items. they were shipped separately. it was snowing the day the kohler arrived and the ups driver said that dropping the tub to the curb was not included in the delivery, so the contractor plus plumber actually lifted it themselves. customer service said it was not their fault, UPS said it was not their fault, either way, I did pay for curbside delivery and did not get it, I would suggest when ordering large items like this to talk to the company ahead of time, which I did not do. homeproductstogo.com - ordered three toto toilets. no problems. really nice local delivery company was used who insisted on helping us take the items into our home - I did not pay for white glove service, and got it anyway overstock.com - kitchen sinks. no problems. Hope this helps.

"if you present plan changes in any way, even if present change by $1, you are then eligible to changes plan without qualifying, therefore I don't see this as an obstacle to going with a lesser plan in the beginning. Doesn't every plan change at least in some form of coverage if not every year at least every two years?" Two points. A Medigap provider cannot, by law, change the extent of the year-to-year coverage of any of the plans it offers because the various plans and the benefit levels they contain are established by Medicare, not by the insurers. That is, the Plan F offered by all insurers must include the exact Plan F benefits Medicare has established, and the same is true for all the other Medigap Plans. Second, I don't think a change in premium cost, alone, would excuse you from the underwriting requirement if you decide to drop a lower benefit plan and instead buy a higher one. However, if the insurer decided not to continue offering that level plan in your state, that would excuse you from underwriting, as would also be the case if the insurer went out of business. But I agree with you that it's wise to run the numbers and buy the plan that makes the best financial sense for you. People who are in good health and have the financial resources to absorb increased health costs in the future should their health worsen, would often be better off saving money now by choosing a lower benefit plan. Being overinsured usually doesn't make financial sense, but a lot of people do it because it gives them peace of mind, which is nice, but be aware that it does come at a cost.

Hi pinecone, I understand that busloads of people come from neighbouring states to Canada, largely to purchase their drug supply. So there must be savings to be had. One reason is that 68 cents U.S. buys a buck Canadian. The international drug companies are making noises, and one threatened to cut off the supplies to the ones that they consider to be scoundrels. There are some drug agencies that do large volumes, I think. There may be something about having problems with prescriptions written by U.S. doctors, but many have channels set up to deal with this problem, I've heard. If you want some quotes, I can see what I can find out. My email address is available here. Good wishes for a lovely week, all. joyful guy/Ed P.S. You say that you're posting this also on the "grandparents" site. Am I missing something? Don't tell me I'm in second childhood! EB P.P.S. You're not the "pinecone" company that runs research surveys, I suppose? Forgive me - just being mischievous. Nothing like a good laugh to bring down the blood pressure - and relieve stress. EB

I believe companies that sell drugs into the US are subject to some level of FDA registration and scrutiny. I'm sure it's not enough whatever it is. Internet sellers can skirt this rule, that's part of where the danger lies. I think the biggest gripe with "Canadian pharmacies" online is that many of them aren't Canadian at all and sell mail order from Third World countries lacking any form of regulation. The percentage of shipments of phony or dangerous drugs, drugs that don't conform to what was prescribed or ordered, is very high, it's a big risk. Not only because many have been found with toxic and dangerous contents, but also that many don't contain the substances the patient wants or needs to take. Everyone can do Google searches, here's an article from Consumer Reports from last year. They advise against internet pharmacy purchases from foreign sellers and explain why: Per Consumer Reports, avoid foreign online drug sellers