I handle matters for a relative. One drug is $157 for 30 pills (one a day). I went on GOOGLE and got a Canadian toll free number from an advertiser. I talked to them. For $121.00 I can get 60 pills. There's no generic and I asked twice if it was the identical drug I purchased in the U.S. The person said yes. They said nothing about new laws or restrictions. I've heard these are being kicked around but have not been implemented. QUESTIION: I feel uneasy that the drug may not be the same although I was told it was. If anyone has had ordering experience I'd certainly like to hear from them. Thanks.

Please do not buy drugs online. It's not safe and it's illegal. Online "Canadian" pharmacies are often not even located in Canada. The websites are an outright lie. And "pharmacies" located in Canada are not regulated like real pharmacies unless they actually do business in Canada with Canadian patients. If you want medications from Canada, go to a real physical pharmacy that dispenses to Canadian patients. And since drug names are different in different countries, make absolutely sure both the brand and generic name of the medication is written on the prescription as well as what it is for. That way if there are any questions, that information can be important for the pharmacist to determine if clarification is needed. For example, when Bextra was available in the US, it was a brand name anti-inflammatory medicine. In at least one European country that brand name was for blood pressure medicine, a completely different drug. Brand names are made up for recognition and marketing, while generic names are the chemical name for the medicine molecule, which can vary slightly from region to region but are pretty consistent. In addition, if he US regulations on importation and manufacturing keep our drug supply reasonably safe. We have, at least as of a few years ago, about a 2-3% counterfeit rate. Many other countries buy on the world market which has about 8-10% , or higher in some regions, rate. Drugs purchased online are even worse, as they are often completely outside the medical system of any country and completely unregulated. There was a great article in I think Health magazine if I remember correctly back about 6 or so years ago that followed an investigation of medicines purchased online. It was astounding how bad things were. And some of the "manufacturing" facilities they had pictures of I wouldn't step inside even with a whole truckload of bleach and sanitizer at my side! At the very least, any physical or online pharmacy that does not require an exam by a healthcare provider and an actual prescription should be avoided like the plague. Any online pharmacy that is not VIPPS registered should also be avoided. Please remember criminals lie, so any site claiming to be VIPPS registered should then be verified by searching the registry, not by linking through that website to verify! Working with your doctor or pharmacist for suggestions is helpful. If you use multiple pharmacies, PLEASE keep a list of ALL your medications and ask each pharmacy to enter them on your profile for screening. Paying out of pocket takes away the only screening tool the pharmacy has for seeing major interactions with meds from other places, IF your insurance company provides those alerts to them. Pharmacy shopping and paying cash puts a lot of responsibility on YOU to make sure your medications are safe, so do your best to keep everyone involved well informed. It's in your best interest.

alisande -- If I were you, I'd go with the cheapest premium. Yes, you *could* pay that $320 deductible -- IF you are prescribed enough meds to reach that limit. (Even if you did, it's still less than your current Part D will be in 2015.) That Humana/Wal-Mart plan is offered here, too. DH and I will each breeze right through that deductible with our outrageously priced meds, regardless, so it may make sense for us too. Our 2014 WellCare Part D is going up from $20/mo. to $30/mo. I don't see keeping that if we can do better. Have you 'run the numbers' on Part D plans on www.medicare.gov Re:Deductibles. In 2012 and 2013 we had a Medicare Supplemental Plan F that paid for everything and the kitchen sink. For 2014 we took a Plan F- High Deductible ($2200/pp deductible) and are money ahead. We could afford to pay that $2200 each if necessary, but I have only had about $300 in out of pocket and DH less. We were still protected in the event of HUGE medical bills. Re: Filling prescriptions. We are fine with 90-day supplies from mail order on our maintenance meds. This year my cost for Advair was a third lower via mail order. (It's still a big rip-off, but that's because the US doesn't negotiate pricing with the pharmaceutical companies.)

Thank you all for sharing my happiness. If I had no drug insurance -- which American seniors are required to buy as a condition of having Medicare -- Celgene would cover most of the cost of their product, Revlimid. It's been on the market for over ten years. I am pretty sure that patients in other countries pay much less for the product. Maybe I should look 'abroad'? jim -- The $15K every year has to come from somewhere.