What about getting drugs from Canada?

Even getting your brand name drugs from Canada, till the start of 2008 when your donut hole vanishes, is tricky. In my case:

Celebrex costs $263.26 for a 90-day supply from Aetna.
In Canada, Celebrex costs $140.49 for the exact same brand name and supply.

But Uroxatral 90-day supply costs $68.39 from Aetna and $94.38 from Canada. Even the generic Alphozosin, not available from Aetna, costs $77.88 in Canada.

If you want to check your brand name prescriptions' costs in Canada, the web site is at

http://www.canadadrugs.com/search.php?keyword=Uroxatral&x=18&y=4

If you prefer, you could get from Canada what is cheaper there, as long as it's the same brand name and strength as from Aetna, and get from Aetna what is cheaper from Aetna than from Canada.

Generics, of course, continue to cost you $5, even in the donut hole, so it doesn't make much sense to look for a better deal on generics.

This law was passed by the Republican-controlled 2003 Congress, with the donut hole inserted at the behest of the pharmaceutical companies, and the ban on Medicare negotiating drug prices down added after pressure from the same lobbyists.

Not that the Democrats have made any headway to eliminate the donut hole, faced with veto threats from President Bush, after the Democrats took over both houses.