$10.83

I like most people. They're friendly, polite, courteous, and fun to be their pharmacist. It might be those people that's kept me in the business this long.

And then there's the ones... oh, my gosh, the people that drive you up the wall. And sometimes they come in pairs.

Last night a guy comes in with a cell phone plastered to his ear, yammering in a foreign language. The language isn't important so you liberals reading this can stop getting triggered. This isn't about race. It's about someone who is on a cell phone while trying to get pharmacy service.

He has a prescription for amoxicillin suspension for his daughter. It's for an odd quantity. We're used to see oddness in Snootyville but I'll check it out with her weight when I'm filling it. But first the guy wants to know the price. I process it on his insurance and get a price of $10.83. I tell him the price.

"No. It's supposed to be $4 on my insurance," he says.

A tall guy steps in line to be helped next.

I ask cell phone guy for the insurance card and verify that I do indeed have the right insurance and that I'm billing it correctly. I already knew that but you have to go through this process otherwise people will just argue with you that you've done it wrong.

"I've verified everything. It's telling me to charge you $10.83."

Cell phone guy shows me an app on his cell phone which pulls up his insurance co-pay and it says $5.83 (how that became $4 is unknown). I ask him what quantity he put in the app. Then we argue about the quantity because he doesn't understand the difference between 250mg/ml and the quantity to dispense. Either way it doesn't matter because I'm not getting what his fabulous app is telling him. I ask him if maybe the other $5 is a deductible or fee or maybe we're not his preferred pharmacy. He mumbles something and steps aside to fiddle on the app some more.

THE NEXT GUY in line, tall guy, who has heard everything because cell phone guy was really loud, walks past me to cell phone guy and starts telling him about GoodRx thinking that will solve all the problems in the world. They have short discussion then tall guy comes back to pay for his med.

"That GoodRx stuff is great," he volunteers like I give a rat's ass.

"Yeah, it's simply amazing," I retort, sarcasm included.

So then cell phone guy steps back with the GoodRx info provided by his new anonymous friend. Great. This won't take any time away from the other prescriptions I have to fill. It's a stream-lined process! So I tediously put it in and send it off. It comes back more than the $10.83 co-pay on his insurance. So much for the AMAZING savings old GoodRx Doug promises everyone. I tell him it's more than the co-pay.

I start to ask him if he put in the correct quantity but before I have a chance he yells, "Well it's supposed to be $4 on my insurance!" Then he grabbed the script and marched off.

What's wrong with this entire scenario:

1. Your daughter is worth the $10.83. If it was my daughter I sure as hell wouldn't be so damn worried about $10.

2. People should mind their own business. Stay out of other people's affairs. All the good intentions in the world from the second guy only made the situation longer.

3. Your insurance SETS the co-pay, not the pharmacy. If they're telling me to charge you $10 or $20 it's not a mistake on our end.

Just another day at the Goofmart.