Med Mayhem

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Rx Scripts


Given the ship's pharmacy only stocks emergency quantities of medications, passengers were instructed to obtain and pack ample supplies of all their prescriptions. That sounded reasonable, so I contacted my doctor, mail order supplier and insurance company in hopes of identifying any established procedures. The idea was to be proactive and avoid any unnecessary aggravations or delays. It seemed to work. The approved procedure was identified and put in play.

Rather than bore you with all the details, let me just say after several weeks and many hours of frustrating calls some progress was made, but we were still short of goal. Obviously what we were attempting is exactly what the pharmacy benefit management (PBM) industry is designed to prevent.

Not willing to give up, we recalculated our remaining shortages, installed the GoodRx application and identified local sources for our outstanding medications. Our family practitioner graciously provided paper scripts replacing the electronic copies voided by the PBM. The next days were spent standing in lines filling scripts at several local pharmacies. We now have ample medications covering us through October, 2024.

Apparently others on the trip are experiencing similar issues. Some are hoping to source their needs abroad while others are hoping Royal Caribbean will magically have answers. For us, having our medications in hand is well worth the additional out of pocket expense. Thank you Dr K for all your help. You are the greatest.

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