“Hi. I’m Bob. I work for Coke, and I’d like you to continue to buy Coke.”
Friday, March 26th, 2010So I mentioned recently, briefly, the “rebate” card thing going on with the special scalp shampoo the dermatologist wants me to use, but I’d like to expand on that.
What’s the deal, really? I mean, these medications are expensive – I shudder to think what my out of pocket costs would be, retail, for my treatments. I’ve been talking to insurance companies about switching should I start a job that offers insurance as a good benefit to me, and their language about pre-existing conditions is scary when you don’t “get” it. I don’t have to stop getting treated for six months, I just have to not have a lapse in coverage longer than 63 days (and the gov’t is giving a temporary payroll tax break to companies that employ people who have been out of work 60 days or longer) …
But anyway, we budgeted X for my monthly co pays, but with this “rebate” card we’re paying nearly nothing for one drug, a week’s worth of lunch out budget for another (but I just found a $20 coupon), and for one of the kids, a staggering couple of tanks worth of gas (but I just found a $60 coupon good for three refills).
It’s some kind of complicated accounting thing, but why? All I can think of is this – there’s a price point that people can and will pay for something, and an amount of time they’ll pay that. After that, they can pony up or go off of it. Like a dealer – the first hits are free.
That, and there’s no such thing as a free lunch.
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