"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.

If you live in CA. they go across border into Mexico & pharmacy is near the border, go around the corner & they have a DR. that will write up prescription but not for narcotics & some other drugs. I told her not to go there but she said she had to have it, crossed the border & was back over here- within the hour. but it wasn't TJ it was towards AZ I think, very small town. If there are busloads they must be doing something similar , I tried to get a drug from Canada that my dr. had been giving me for yrs for migraines but Canadian pharmacy said illegal to take it across border by mail (or any other way).

I don't know the answer to how you get the prescription, but as for your question about insurance; the question is not "will the Canadian pharmacy accept my insurance?". The question is "will my insurance company pay for treatment obtained outside the United States?", and "will my insurance company pay for non-FDA-approved medication?". Insurance companies choose what and who they will pay for, not the other way around. Ask your insurance company. Some policies cover international care if necessary, some don't. My guess is they will not cover non-FDA approved medication, regardless of what country you purchase it in.

Hi porker with bounce, Some Tylenol up here is available without prescription, but I think that the stuff with codeine may require a prescription - I know that the kind with some levels of codiene does. A druggist on the radio the other morning said that for most of the drugs, the only difference is that they are labelled in French, as well. A number of the drug companies manufacture in Canada, as well - so their costs of production would be different. Governments are more heavily involved in the whole medical establishment, up here. And are the agency that pays for a substantial amount of the drugs - so there may have been negotiations with the drug companies over prices. A number of drug companies make drugs available in places like Africa at little more than the cost of production, as they realize that they can't afford the higher prices charged here, which pay for the research to develop new drugs, which is hugely expensive. With regard to the amount of the active ingredient involved - the prescription written by the U.S. doctor would specify, and the copy written by the Canadian doctor would be identical, in almost all cases. joyful guy/Ed