Blood pressure drugs

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My husband and I have had to add a few prescriptions to our daily diet as we've grown older. The common one is a blood pressure drug. We both take one. My blood pressure has always been marginal but his has been a little high. About 9 months ago the doctor changed his drug because what he had taken was no longer working. The doctor gave him samples to try to make sure he could tolerate the change and that it was what would work for him. So, for the past 9 months the doctor's office has continued to give him the samples. We never thought anything about it. We never wondered if it was a new drug? or was it very expensive and they were trying to help us out? We probably thought a little of both. Well, this time, they were out of samples and gave him a prescription. When he went to the drugstore to pick up his prescription he was told it was a PA and it needed to be approved ahead of time and that Blue Cross/Blue Shield was not going to give it to him. Say what? What is PA? What is he supposed to do now? He's out of his blood pressure medicine NOW. So I call the doctor's office and they tell me that they will fill out the paperwork to have the drug pre-approved. Okay...what about NOW? I must have sounded a little freaked out because the girl is telling me to calm down and then says, "We are not obligated to provide you with samples." Say what? You have given them to my husband for the last 9 months and now you are telling us oh well and that you are not obligated to do so? And by the way...couldn't you have pre-approved the drug about 8 months ago? And the drugstore had our phone number...why didn't they call and tell us it needed to be pre-approved, or that our insurance wasn't going to let them fill the prescription? So many balls were dropped here it wasn't funny! For something so simple, we were left hanging and stressed out. This could have been handled so much better.