NEWS: Supermarket Special: Free Drugs

CULTURE: Supermarket Special: Free Drugs

Who doesn't like free drugs? Even if we're just talking antibiotics, free drugs have a special allure all their own. In view of that, and in the ultimate sales promotion, the Publix supermarket chain, with over 900 stores throughout Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, and Tennessee, is offering a free drug program to customers with prescriptions for amoxicillin, cephalexin, sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim, penicillin VK, erythromycin, ampicillin, and ciprofoxacin.

If I lived in one of the states that house Publix markets, I can assure you that the compulsive, druggie-hoarder in me would be on the phone, demanding a cipro prescription from my doctor right now. Just to have, you know? In the medicine cabinet. Because there's something comforting about knowing it's there.

Seriously, though—this is an interesting little commentary (intended or not—I'm guessing "not" on the American health care system in the wake of Michael Moore's Sicko, and the ensuing debate that it sparked. With health care costs one of the biggest challenges facing many Americans, and political loons on both the left and the right arguing about the issues, it's interesting to see the private sector taking a leadership stance.

Publix CEO Charlie Jenkins Jr. said that in addition to obviously wanting to increase Publix pharmacy sales, the company was looking for a way to alleviate at least some small part of the health care costs that plague Americans—especially those without insurance .

Publix customer Barbara Lemay had this to say:

Publix is actually the first large regional chain to offer certain drugs at no cost, although Wal-Mart, Kmart, and some other retailers do offer discounted drug programs. Now, if they would just provide free birth control, then they'd really be onto something.

I'd like to dedicate this to the gang over at the Publix table:

Wal mart offers discount drug programs but wont even insure its employees??? Go figure.

Jesus Christ. How many antibiotics is she planning on taking?

Free antibiotics, eh? The time for that whirlwind tour of Tijuana's finest and cheapest brothels is now.

am i on crack, or is that steve buscemi as the waiter and pilot in that video

awesome.

Is Meijer's owned by Publix...? because I've been getting free antibiotics there for a while now. They have the same Rx list too.

Welcome to what it's like in the UK

meh, they're just antibiotics. i thought something revolutionary was going on here.

Hey, if you have a sick kid or you're sick yourself and don't have $$, this could be revolutionary to you...

Besides, it's a start.

I wonder what effect this will have on the antibiotic resistance of bacteria. I just hope that if they're free or cheap, people will take the whole course because they don't have to worry about the costs...

aww, antibiotics ? I still have those in stock

Crack.

walmart offers insurance to there employees. pretty good insurance too. they just like to fire women who take maternity leave and then have to take and extra week off to care for their sick mothers.

+1. More little pals for MRSA, I suspect. It's not as though people know what antibiotics are useful for (i.e. not viruses) or like taking pills.

What type of drugs were you hoping for??

More ways to make antibiotic resistant super bugs. Just in time to clean up a bit in Florida.

Maybe in Jersey they might offer insurance, but out here in CA taxpayers subsidized over 80 million in healthcare to walmart employees last year alone.

I would put money on antibiotic resistance going up because people will probably take them until they are better and stop, as they do now. Most will probably use the reasoning that they can "just get more for free" if the they get sick again.

Add that with the fact a lot of people probably take antibiotics for stuff other than bacterial infections. Now that they are free I see even more "bug" trouble ahead.

As a 29 year old diabetic with no insurance, I can say for a fact that, well at least in the southern states, if you are young and have a job, you are fucked when it comes to healthcare. Myself I am taking about $500.00 bucks a month worth of med to keep my disease at bay, a disorder that if you get any other run of the mill sickness will kick your ass, and put your sugars out of wack, which means you have to go to the doctor even more and pay out the ass yet again for run of the mill drugs that thank god Publix is handing out for free. I know my sick ass will be on the phone with my doc first thing in the morning and get me a tree month supply of each listed. Now only if they would give out drugs that i actually take on a daily basis... better yet make it to where i can get insurance in the state of GA, or some type of help from the tax money that is taken from my check every week that could be paying for some of this shit..... Oh well that is a rant better left for another day.


Stuckey: The Monkey King

Yeah, poor people are way too fucking stupid to follow simple directions. I don't know why we even bother giving them meds in the first place.

(That was your point, right?)

I love me some publix. I was in one today and saw the sign for it and thought it was an awsome idea. It's practically the only grocery store in the Charleston, SC area that also has "green" products, veggie/vegan friendly foods, etc. etc. It's a good chain of grocery stores.

And the Wal-Marts around here aren't that great with health insurance either

This news article was worth the read if just for the Huey Lewis video.

two thumbs UP!!

+wf+