Q: Is a written prescription required for a pharmacy to provide pricing under 333.17757 Michigan compiled law
My doctor recommends one of 3 drugs for treatment. He cannot provide pricing but recommends I check prices before he writes the prescription. My insurance cannot provide point of purchase pricing either. The pharmacies will not provide pricing unless I have a written or electronic prescription. My doctor is prohibited by law and license regulations from writing multiple prescriptions to serve as a shopping list. I am in a catch 22 and unable to compare prices of drugs necessary for treatment. Doctors can't write the multiple prescriptions necessary to satisfy the pharmacy requirements for a written prescription and pharmacies interpret the law as requiring a prescription before they are obligated to provide pricing.
A:
The text of the law doesn't require you to have a prescription before getting a price. The pharmacy's interpretation, while not completely unreasonable, doesn't appear to meet the text or the spirit of the law. My advice would be to contact the Michigan Consumer Protection Division for help, and you can file a complaint. You can see more information about this here:
https://www.michigan.gov/ag/0,4534,7-359--136386--,00.html
Consumer Protection Division
P.O. Box 30213
Lansing, MI 48909
517-373-1140
Fax: 517-241-3771
Toll free: 877-765-8388
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