I’m on a 90-day automatic refill system with my local (national chain) pharmacy.
I use them rather than mail order because my travel schedule is so often, I need to be able to get a fill-in supply through my doctor’s help.
I’m out today, and for some reason, they didn’t contact me last week to say the med was on its way. I contacted them three days ago to check, and they said the med would be ready today.
Just as I was about to go out the door to pick up, they sent me a text. “So sorry. Out of stock. We’ll let you know when it’s available).
This is not life threatening, so that’s not a problem, but what if it was?
I sent back a polite message and asked.
Then I got an automatic phone call telling me the same thing as the text.
Again, not a problem, but an irritant and a question: what if it was insulin? What if it was a chemo drug? What if I would need to go to the hospital if I didn’t get it on schedule?
I stood behind a man at that same pharmacy three months ago. He was nearly sobbing. He wanted to take his 10 year old to San Francisco for her birthday. She needed insulin needles.
THey wouldn’t give him any two days ahead of time, “because of the insurance.”
He finally paid them $150 for the needles, but what a nightmare.
The insurance will reimburse him (are needles really that expensive?), but the agony we all went through standing in line behind him was real.
Another time, same place, same line, a man had a prescription for pain killers–he’d come straight from the ER.
I asked my husband who knows everything and this was his answer.
Under Nixon, Kissinger opened trade with China. The reason wasn’t bad–by inviting China into the world trade system, their politics would change.
That has happened. Despite the governments attempt to squelch any sort of democracy, workers in China are in a far better place personally and in their daily lives.
(This is why the labor rates have gone up so much in China. The people are demanding them and without replacement children coming along, the government HAS to bend. China is no longer the cheapest labor-rate place to do business. Vietnam and India are picking up the slack at the moment).
All along, I’ve wondered at the wisdom in “outsourcing” important materials and DRUGS to another nation–whether the nation is friendly toward you or not.
Medication is needed ON THE SPOT in a nation–not waiting for a, apparently literal, slow boat from China.
Sure, send your tennis shoe manufacturing overseas, but not drugs, not military components or hardware, NOT PHONE SYSTEMS, AIRWAY systems, and anything that would compromise the health and safety of your people.
WHY would any sane person do that?
Why would you allow your people to be held hostage by something completely, and financially, out of their control?
I don’t care what country you are. It makes zero sense.
Wandering Views 
🙂 Beautiful flowers and other natural beauty such as waterfalls.
😦 Hazardous smoke.
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I’m on a 90-day automatic refill system with my local (national chain) pharmacy.
I use them rather than mail order because my travel schedule is so often, I need to be able to get a fill-in supply through my doctor’s help.
I’m out today, and for some reason, they didn’t contact me last week to say the med was on its way. I contacted them three days ago to check, and they said the med would be ready today.
Just as I was about to go out the door to pick up, they sent me a text. “So sorry. Out of stock. We’ll let you know when it’s available).
This is not life threatening, so that’s not a problem, but what if it was?
I sent back a polite message and asked.
Then I got an automatic phone call telling me the same thing as the text.
Again, not a problem, but an irritant and a question: what if it was insulin? What if it was a chemo drug? What if I would need to go to the hospital if I didn’t get it on schedule?
I stood behind a man at that same pharmacy three months ago. He was nearly sobbing. He wanted to take his 10 year old to San Francisco for her birthday. She needed insulin needles.
THey wouldn’t give him any two days ahead of time, “because of the insurance.”
He finally paid them $150 for the needles, but what a nightmare.
The insurance will reimburse him (are needles really that expensive?), but the agony we all went through standing in line behind him was real.
Another time, same place, same line, a man had a prescription for pain killers–he’d come straight from the ER.
Sorry. Not in stock.
HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN?
See next post.
LikeLiked by 5 people
I asked my husband who knows everything and this was his answer.
Under Nixon, Kissinger opened trade with China. The reason wasn’t bad–by inviting China into the world trade system, their politics would change.
That has happened. Despite the governments attempt to squelch any sort of democracy, workers in China are in a far better place personally and in their daily lives.
(This is why the labor rates have gone up so much in China. The people are demanding them and without replacement children coming along, the government HAS to bend. China is no longer the cheapest labor-rate place to do business. Vietnam and India are picking up the slack at the moment).
All along, I’ve wondered at the wisdom in “outsourcing” important materials and DRUGS to another nation–whether the nation is friendly toward you or not.
Medication is needed ON THE SPOT in a nation–not waiting for a, apparently literal, slow boat from China.
Sure, send your tennis shoe manufacturing overseas, but not drugs, not military components or hardware, NOT PHONE SYSTEMS, AIRWAY systems, and anything that would compromise the health and safety of your people.
WHY would any sane person do that?
Why would you allow your people to be held hostage by something completely, and financially, out of their control?
I don’t care what country you are. It makes zero sense.
The NorCal person.
LikeLiked by 5 people
Meanwhile, in much more important news, 750K emails in Egypt from people who have dreamed about “the man dressed in white?”
You all know him as Jesus. 🙂
https://www.threads.com/@the_last_days777/post/DMG3a3DSsYj?xmt=AQF0yVmw3lbcjpCsVupTtEDzwZdNIMI2JyQhEQIfsYM5_g
LikeLiked by 4 people