BlogHer - Healthcare Crisis: The Rising Cost of Prescription Medication - Comments

What is the price tag on health?

apietrangelo — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 22:40:02 -0500

Thank you for highlighting this issue. So many people do not understand the meaning of the term "health care crisis" until it knocks right on the front door!

For those of us living with a chronic illness, the price tag has gotten dangerously high. The $500 I must spend on multiple sclerosis medications each month -- yes, each month -- is only the tip of the iceberg in my household.

Beyond the problem of the UNinsured is the problem of people with a lifelong condition who are UNDERinsured, through no fault of their own.

"How About a Dose of Stress with Your Injection?"

Ann Pietrangelo

http://www.AnnPietrangelo.com

Some States Take Action

norarachel — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 17:14:59 -0500

It is insane that people can not get needed medications due to cost. Some states, like Oregon (where I live) do have programs to help people without prescription coverage (or with crappy coverage) get discounts on drugs.

The program - the oregon prescription drug program - is free and was established due to a vote of the citizens. In a state where people are skeptical of government programs, OPDP passed overwhelmingly. (I suppose, what is not to like about free help?)

Nora

http://www.nonlineargirl.com

Drug costs are unreal--here's some help

ckingins — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 21:04:29 -0500

Unfortunately, as all here have found, even having drug coverage doesn't help if you have a high brand drug deductible, generic drug coverage only, or what you need isn't on the formulary.

Interesting, as we in California struggle with the attempts at reforming our health care coverage system, many people scream that they want what Canada's got. I don't go into huge detail, but one thing I find interesting is that prescription drugs are NOT covered under the Canadian health plan. Could that possibly be part of the reason that Canadian drug costs are so much lower than in the US?

Please take this last bit of information and share it with everyone you know. There is a prescription drug discount card that may be extremely helpful, even if you have drug coverage. I know there are many out there, but this one has no conditions on it, no association behind it to join. It's Free! I've met the people who started it and they are wonderful. There is a web site you can go to to check for participating pharmacies in your area and what the cost of the drug you are looking for would be. This is the PS Card, it's free, so please check it out and share it with others.

www.PSCard.com

Colleen King

Colleen King Insurance Agency

Northridge, CA

Blog:www.askcolleenking.com

Web site: www.CKinginsurance.com

Email: Colleen@ckinginsurance.com

a different perspective

thegirlwholearnedtokneel — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 16:50:18 -0500

I don't know if you'll find this helpful...but I recently discovered a very interesting book: Never Be Sick by Raymond Francis. He suggests that much of our sickness can be dealt with in alternative ways by changing diet, toxic overload, power of the mind.

It's not airy-fairy. Good solid case-studies worth digesting!

It's worth a read even if you ultimately decide it doesn't apply to your situation. I have found it quite empowering, particularly being in an economic strata (starving artist to be precise!) where good insurance is not an option.

I would love to hear if you find it useful!

Rebecca

www.thegirlwholearnedtokneel.com

www.enableyourhealth.com

Thanks for the References

geekgirl — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 13:42:32 -0500

I have been thinking about this issue a lot lately. At the beginning of the year, I was hospitalized and am still paying the medical bills related to that illness. I am fortunate to work, and have health insurance for myself and family. But we still pay a larger percentage of our income as a family each year to purchase medical care and prescriptions.

I worry about older members of the family a great deal. All of the grandparents are on a fixed income. And my grandmother, who is divorced and lives alone, has the most difficult time paying for her medical care. She does have some insurance coverage. But her income is low and her medical expenses continue to rise. She wants her independence, not my help. Though she avoids discussing it with me; I know she has had to make difficult choices with her budget this year. I was very upset to learn that she put off purchasing a prescription for a week or two, when she needed it immediately.

Thank you for the great resource links. I will check them out and sneak them into my grandmothers mailbox.

Christine

http://froginnorthgeorgia.com/

It is Insane

Kathy333 — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 10:33:41 -0500

I can't believe the cost of that prescription! We are lucky in that most of our prescriptions are covered and we pay a pretty low copay. Same goes with our doctor visits. I have a friend who has not been so lucky in life, and who never worked a job in which he received good benefits. He ended up with throat cancer. It spread quickly and he could not get into the doctor to get it checked. Finally he went to a university hospital, a teaching hospital. Unfortunately, it has spread so much that he is going to lose his tongue and most likely within a few months his life. It makes me so angry that health care is set up the way that it is in this country. It is interesting to see how it works in other countries. Susan, that's awful about the health issues but great about the medical bills. Great post!

Kathy

Mama Marathoner

Allbusiness:Working Mothers

Scary.

SusanCarleton — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 06:59:24 -0500

Jeez. I was complaining on my blog about having to REMEMBER my prescriptions: I'm glad I don't have to worry about paying for them. How do older people manage, when so many retired people have smaller incomes?

In the past few years, I've had four surgeries, uncountable doctor visits, several home visits, one hospitalisation and two ongoing prescriptions. But I've never paid -- or even received -- a medical bill. The taxes we pay in Ireland are very high, but since taxes are a percentage of income, we're never forced to choose between health or shelter or food.

I'll be more grateful now, I think...

Take good care of yourself!

Susan

stonyriverfarm.blogspot.com

www.carersgroup.com

Healthcare Crisis: The Rising Cost of Prescription Medication

Catherine Morgan — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 04:21:12 -0500

What do you do when you need a medication, but the cost is more than you can really afford? Even with insurance and a prescription drug plan, this has happened to me on several occasions.

One of my many chronic medical conditions, is something called, neurocardiogenic syncope. Basically, my brain sends the wrong message to my heart, causing my blood pressure to sometimes be so low that I can black-out, and other times causing it to be so high I need to take medication. To make matters worse, I need to try not to take the blood pressure medication, because it exacerbates my asthma. And then, when I have to treat my asthma, that medication increases my blood pressure and heart rate. It's a bitter chain of symptoms and treatments, causing more symptoms, and requiring more treatments.

So...Ever since getting sick at BlogHer, with Post BlogHer Bolla, my asthma has been bothering me. But, I've been avoiding using my medication for fear of how it would affect my heart and blood pressure. At one of my many visits to my primary doctor, I was told that my asthma symptoms needed to be treated, before they became any worse. The doctor gave me a nebulizer treatment in the office, and a prescription for the same medication. The medication Xopenex is the only asthma treatment available that doesn't affect your heart. But, when I went to the pharmacy to have it filled, I found out that even with my insurance, it would cost me $65.00 (for only twelve days of treatment). I decided not to get it, and see if my symptoms cleared up on their own (even though I knew that my asthma would only continue to get worse). I convinced myself that if I had to, I would just use my Albuterol, and deal with my blood pressure possibly going up, rather than pay $65.00.

Then on Tuesday, I had one of my regular scheduled cardiology appointments. My blood pressure (at rest) was 120/100 and my heart rate was 120. The cardiologist told me I had to start the Xopenex treatment immediately, because the cough my asthma was causing, was responsible for my blood pressure and heart rate becoming too high. Things were so bad, that if my blood pressure or asthma had gotten even slightly worse, I would have needed to be hospitalized. Needless to say, I went to the pharmacy and paid for the stupid Xopenex.

As frustrated as I am over having to pay $65.00 for twelve days of medication...I know so many people have it much worse than me. Recently, I came across this article on the rising costs of prescription medications.

Cost of Prescription Medications Rising

While Americans continue to feel the effects of soaring fuel prices, there is another consumer good enjoying a "quiet" price explosion-prescription drugs. We are accustomed to slight increases each year in the price of medication, along with everything else, but during the first half of this year alone the average wholesale price of 17 brand-name drugs increased 100 percent or more in a single cost adjustment, according to researchers at the University of Minnesota. And just as concerning is the prediction that prices on 64 drugs are expected to more than double by year's end, up from just 22 drugs in 2004.

Prices For Some Drugs Skyrocket

Reasons for the larger increases are varied, researchers say.

"There's no simple explanation," says Stephen Schondelmeyer, director of the PRIME Institute at the University of Minnesota, which studies drug industry economics. "Some companies seem to figure no one is watching so they can get away with it."

The biggest problem with the cost of prescription medication going up, is that everything else is going up too. Many people are having to choose between buying their medications or putting food on their table. I wrote about how the economy and high gas prices are affecting health and wellness. And sadly, I don't see this problem getting any better, anytime soon.

From Working With Chronic Illness...

A study was recently published by Harvard Medical School researchers saying that

Many U.S. adults with chronic illness are uninsured.

Chronically ill uninsured patients are 4 times as likely to have trouble get medical care

I’m not surprised. Are you?

Just the other day, a client emailed me saying that the monthly medication she takes for multiple sclerosis, at the monthly price of $1704.16, has been deemed a tier two drug, a “maintenance medication”, by her insurer. That means that this drug which she’s been taking since 1997, has successfully stabilized her disease and allows her to continue to walk - is going to cost her $852. 08 month! In comparison, she is paying $950/month for her apartment.

I couldn’t believe this so I called and spoke to a representative at her insurance company who told me that if she paid more for monthly premiums, she would have better reimbursement.

Honestly, I’m not blaming the insurance company. That does make sense - from there perspective. They’re just trying to eke out a living here, too. But something is very wrong with out system.

From My Suburban Life...

For seniors on fixed incomes, paying for costly prescription drugs is not a new challenge, but as the high cost of gas drives up other costs, many seniors are faced with a unique set of problems and difficult decisions.

In a report released in May by AARP titled “The Economic Slowdown’s Impact on Middle-Aged and Older Americans,” 59 percent of seniors 65 and older surveyed said they’d found it more difficult to pay for essential items including food, gas and medicine. Just less than half said they found it more difficult to pay for utilities incuding heating, cooling or phone service.

From Pink Pearl Girl's Migraine World...

The Wal-Mart generic program offers a 30-day supply of certain generic medication for $4.00. A 90-day supply will only cost you $10.00. If you use a heart (calcium channel blocker, beta blocker) or blood pressure medication or an antidepressant as a preventive, you may benefit from this program. I found some of these medications on the list. There are no Migraine specific medications such as Triptans or Dihydroergotamine (DHE) on the list. There are some pain medications such as Ibuprofen on this list but I did not see any narcotic medications. I also did not see any antiseizure medications.

Other big box discount stores have similar programs. One of these is Target's generic program. A 30-day supply is also $4.00 and a 90-day supply is $10.00. There are many of the same medications on their list. Kmart has a 90-day Generic Program. These medications cost $10.00 and $15.00. Their list can be found HERE. I couldn't find any Migraine medications on their $5.00 Program List. However, some analgesics are listed. Costco offers its members a prescription savings plan for those with no insurance. Information on this program can be found HERE.

From Health Central - MS Drugs Offer Hope, But Can You Afford Them?

Without a moment's hesitation, I can answer for myself and my husband. Health Insurance. Capital H, Capital I. It is that big an issue. More specifically, it is the soaring cost of prescription medications for MS, which, even if you have a solid group health plan, are becoming frightfully out of reach for a great many people.

If you're having trouble paying for your prescription medications, there may be help. Check out Partnership for Prescription Assistance...

The Partnership for Prescription Assistance brings together America’s pharmaceutical companies, doctors, other health care providers, patient advocacy organizations and community groups to help qualifying patients who lack prescription coverage get the medicines they need through the public or private program that’s right for them. Many will get them free or nearly free. Its mission is to increase awareness of patient assistance programs and boost enrollment of those who are eligible. Through this site, the Partnership for Prescription Assistance offers a single point of access to more than 475 public and private patient assistance programs, including more than 180 programs offered by pharmaceutical companies. To access the Partnership for Prescription Assistance by phone, you can call toll-free, 1-888-4PPA-NOW (1-888-477-2669).

Also See:

Breast Cancer and the Health Care Crisis: What is your life worth?

From MOMocrats - Building a New US Health System

7 Ways To Save On Prescription Costs

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan
at catherine-morgan.com, The Political Voices of Women, Care2 Election