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Mark Cuban's Cost Plus Drugs

costplusdrugs.com

51–60 of 191 posts

Re: Mark Cuban's Cost Plus Drugs

#51

As always the issue with privatized social services is that the goal is to make money, not to provide a service so the incentives are fundamentally misaligned. For-profit care providers make money when the fail to provide care. When they fail to cover procedures. When they can substitute lower-quality or less effective goods and services. When they can sell you catastrophic cover with deductibles and co-pays too high…

That's pretty much it, but I would add that since medicine in the American sphere of influence is a cornered market the goal is always to deny care, so the patients are more desperate and pay higher prices. Endgame is a billionaire paying his whole billion-dollar fortune for a loaf of bread because he's starving. First you have to corner the market, then deny food, then eventually yes, eventually he will in fact pay…

Indeed there's no reason that Cuban won't, like Uber, wake up one day and 5X prices - or bring in the recently-released Pharma Bro Shkrelli.

Good will and brand alone isn't sufficient to build a medical system on.

Re: Mark Cuban's Cost Plus Drugs

#52
post #19

There's a $5 shipping fee that isn't included until check out, so for a lot of cheap drugs it's still cheaper to go thru GoodRX/Walmart/other discount programs.

Are you looking at the right place?

I clicked on the medication's link (just for lookup), and it took me to a page which listed Manufacturing, 15% Markup, Pharmacy Labor and in a circled blue box: "* additional cost at checkout Shipping $5.00".

Re: Mark Cuban's Cost Plus Drugs

#53
From the time this was posted two days ago:

This keeps showing up but it's total bullshit. Cuban wants to take 15% of the transaction for running a web site and processing payment. They're not manufacturing drugs. They're not buying drugs. They're not shipping drugs. They're not doing anything at all besides taking your order and giving it to someone to do all those things. It's not a charity. It's a profitable business and a very profitable one at that.

Oh yeah, and the prices aren't lower than what you can get using GoodRX.

Re: Mark Cuban's Cost Plus Drugs

#54

So is the cost actually low? The last time this came up on HN people agreed the costs are standard and the other pharmacies do not charge the high prices on the comparisons.

It depends on the drug. Shipping is enough to make it more expensive than Costco or GoodRX in some cases. YMMV.

Re: Mark Cuban's Cost Plus Drugs

#55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's pretty much it, but I would add that since medicine in the American sphere of influence is a cornered market the goal is always to deny care, so the patients are more desperate and pay higher prices. Endgame is a billionaire paying his whole billion-dollar fortune for a loaf of bread because he's starving. First you have to corner the market, then deny food, then eventually yes, eventually he will in fact pay…

Indeed there's no reason that Cuban won't, like Uber, wake up one day and 5X prices - or bring in the recently-released Pharma Bro Shkrelli. Good will and brand alone isn't sufficient to build a medical system on.

[deleted]

Re: Mark Cuban's Cost Plus Drugs

#56
I just found out that insulin is ten times more expensive in the US compare to Europe. This can hardly be explained without the existance of a price cartel and something seems to be really rotten in the US drug market. Let's hope that efforts like this will help bring prices down to a more reasonable level.

Re: Mark Cuban's Cost Plus Drugs

#57

As always the issue with privatized social services is that the goal is to make money, not to provide a service so the incentives are fundamentally misaligned. For-profit care providers make money when the fail to provide care. When they fail to cover procedures. When they can substitute lower-quality or less effective goods and services. When they can sell you catastrophic cover with deductibles and co-pays too high…

Let's hope you make a better fist of it than the UK - the NHS is currently unreformable to any significant degree, due to it being weaponised by the left.

Re: Mark Cuban's Cost Plus Drugs

#58
post #57

As always the issue with privatized social services is that the goal is to make money, not to provide a service so the incentives are fundamentally misaligned. For-profit care providers make money when the fail to provide care. When they fail to cover procedures. When they can substitute lower-quality or less effective goods and services. When they can sell you catastrophic cover with deductibles and co-pays too high…

Let's hope you make a better fist of it than the UK - the NHS is currently unreformable to any significant degree, due to it being weaponised by the left.

Could you share more? Curious to understand the issues of the NHS and why it can't be reformed and what it means to be weaponised by the left

Re: Mark Cuban's Cost Plus Drugs

#59
post #53

From the time this was posted two days ago: This keeps showing up but it's total bullshit. Cuban wants to take 15% of the transaction for running a web site and processing payment. They're not manufacturing drugs. They're not buying drugs. They're not shipping drugs. They're not doing anything at all besides taking your order and giving it to someone to do all those things. It's not a charity. It's a profitable busin…

I mean if you're old enough to remember broadcast.com I don't think anybody had high expectations.

Re: Mark Cuban's Cost Plus Drugs

#60
post #18

I looked up a few of the medications I take and the prices were about even with what I pay at Costco. This is great if it is more accessible for more people

Just for confirmation and clarification:

When you say the prices were about even with what you pay at costco is that comparison with or without healthcare insurance paying part of it?

If your insurance paid part of it and its comparable then Cubans pharmacy is a win for those without healthcare insurance.

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