CINCINNATI — Cold and flu season is on its way, and with those seasonal illnesses come some expensive price tags you might not have been planning for.
Local mother Tess Brown has two kids under the age of 4.
“It’s actually wild how much we’re paying,” Brown said of her family’s recent medical bills. “We're on like the fast pass at our pediatrician's office. They know him by first name now when I call.”
Her children have dealt with anything from an ear infection to croup, and when they're sick, Brown said she's willing to do — and pay — whatever it takes to help them feel better. Sometimes that means opting for a more expensive name-brand medicine.
“For myself, I'd go for a generic brand, but I think my mama bear instinct is to go for that, that brand recognition … which I know better, I'm in marketing,” she said. “For me, it's an added layer of protection if I’m going for the big-name brand.”
But is a name brand actually worth it? We spoke to pediatrician Chris Peltier.
“You don't have to buy a brand-name medicine,” he said.
According to GoodRX Health, generic brand drugs typically cost 80 to 85% less than branded drugs.
“Whatever local store you shop at, if they have a generic version of that, those medicines work just as well, and they're going to be much cheaper,” Peltier said.
According to the FDA, generic brands are just as effective as name-brand medications.
For Brown, another concern was how much medication they use.
“Do we have to be rotating Ibuprofen and Tylenol every six hours? We’re just going through bottles and bottles,” she said.
Brown said she’s been trying out natural remedies. Peltier said that can be a great alternative.
“Not only in terms of safety, but also in cost,” he said. “There's actually some really good evidence that honey is a really good cough suppressant. It actually may work better than some of the cold and cough medicines that are out there.”
Peltier said honey should not be given to children younger than one-year-old.
Peltier said if your child is sick, don’t run to an urgent care or emergency room if you don’t need to. To avoid out-of-pocket costs, call your pediatrician.
“They're available on call and can talk to you about whether they think you really need to go to the emergency room, or if they can wait and we can see you first thing in the morning,” he said.
Peltier also recommends using the app GoodRX for prescription medication. You can search for a prescription, and it will show you the cost at different pharmacies.
He said another cost-effective way to fight the flu or COVID this season is to vaccinate your child. He said most insurance plans cover this, so you shouldn’t have to pay anything out of pocket to get them protected.
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