by PharmacyChecker.com | Dec 21, 2010 | Drug Prices, Medicare Drug Plans
Earlier this month we reported on the UnitedHealthcare Pharmacy Saver plan for Medicare Part D. This plan offers enrollees many of their generic prescriptions for just $2 (some 30- and some 90-day supplies) at Kroger and Safeway chain stores. Our research found that although a few popular generics were not covered by the plan, there was a fairly low co-pay anyway, so cost-wise, UnitedHealthcare has presented a solid Medicare drug plan.
One of our concerns was that those individuals who do not live near a Kroger or Safeway chain will not have easy access to their prescriptions. Well, we have good news to pass on – last week, DrugStoreNews.com announced that Bloom, H-E-B, Hy-Vee, Food Lion, Harveys, Publix Super Markets, Sweetbay Supermarket and Target chains have all joined as participating pharmacies.
This expansion is great, though we still encourage you to compare this plan with others on MedicareDrugPlans.com. It’s important to fit all plan variables to your needs. And remember, just ten more days until open enrollment closes!
Tagged with: chain stores, generics, Kroger, Medicare Drug Plans, medicaredrugplans.com, Open Enrollment, Part D, Pharmacy Saver, prescriptions, Publix, Safeway, Target, United Healthcare
by PharmacyChecker.com | Dec 16, 2010 | Medicare Drug Plans
Many seniors enrolling in a Medicare drug plan these last 15 days of the open enrollment period may turn to their local pharmacy, presumably a trusted source of medical support and information, for answers and advice. Often pharmacists know a patient’s medical and medicinal history so can give professional and educated advice on which plan could best serve the enrollee; however, this isn’t always the case.
An article in American Public Media suggests that the answers and advice some pharmacy’s give could be guided by the influence of insurance companies. Some drugstores have made deals with and will be rewarded by the drug plan company for steering enrollees toward purchasing their specific plan, whether or not the plan is best for the individual. This is not to say that all pharmacies and pharmacists have a conflict of interest when it comes to Medicare drug plans, but we’re confident that research is the best way you can find your best plan. Ask your doctors and loved ones, check out Medicare.gov and MedicareDrugPlans.com – but do so by December 31st!
Tagged with: American Public Media, Medicare Drug Plans, Medicare.gov, medicaredrugplans.com, Open Enrollment, pharmacies
by Gabriel Levitt, President, PharmacyChecker.com and Prescription Justice | Dec 14, 2010 | Drug Importation, Drug Prices, Online Pharmacies, Personal Drug Importation
As too many Americans skip taking their medication due to cost, the issue of drug affordability is of critical importance to public health. It is also one that politicians ignore or wrongly address to their peril. Urging Republican lawmakers not to ignore Americans who are struggling with high drug prices, Roger Bate of the American Enterprise Institute recommended a nuanced, free-market approach to the problem of high drug prices. In an article published yesterday by AEI, Mr. Bate called for the decriminalization of personal drug importation and the continued statutory ban on wholesale drug importation. By doing so, more Americans who are disadvantaged by high drug prices can find relief through safe and affordable international online pharmacies, while not undermining pharmaceutical research and development in the United States, which, he argues, relies on the maintenance of our wholesale drug importation laws.
Underscoring Mr. Bate’s position was his recognition, based on his own empirical research, that Americans who purchase brand name prescription drugs from non-U.S. pharmacies could do so with confidence by consulting the approved list of online pharmacies found on PharmacyChecker.com.
Tagged with: AEI, American Enterprise Institute, decriminalization, Online Pharmacies, personal drug importation, republicans, Roger Bate
by Gabriel Levitt, Vice President, PharmacyChecker.com and Margaret Rode, PharmacyChecker.com | Dec 13, 2010 | Drug Prices, Online Pharmacies
The Obama administration is taking actions to address the illegal sale of counterfeit prescription drugs online. These efforts can benefit patients who could fall victim to rogue online pharmacies, but may also limit access to safe and affordable medication provided by non-U.S. international online pharmacies, many based in Canada. Millions of uninsured and under-insured Americans have purchased prescription drugs through, and relied on, such websites to afford medicine.
Last Monday, the White House Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator (IPEC), Victoria Espinel, stated that her office was in discussions with Google, Go Daddy, American Express, and Microsoft about cracking down on online pharmacies, and that an announcement about IPEC’s plans moving forward will be made within weeks. This statement seems to be a follow-up to a late-September meeting held by IPEC, which brought together domain registrars and registries to discuss voluntary protocols to combat the sale of non-controlled counterfeit medication online. As we reported, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) notably declined its invitation to attend this meeting, and at least one of its attendees, Go Daddy general counsel Christine Jones, as reported on Domain Incite, communicated that intellectual property protection was not discussed and voluntary protocols were not agreed to. Jones also shared her understanding that an “FDA solution” might be used to combat counterfeit drugs being sold online. Espinel’s statement last week suggests the same. (more…)
Tagged with: Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies, American Express, drugs from canada, FDA, GoDaddy, Google, I-Save RX, ICANN, intellectual property rights, Interpol, IPEC, Joseph Biden, Katheleen Sebelius, Margaret Hamburg, Microsoft, Obama Administration, Online Pharmacies, Pfizer, public health, Public Library of Science One, Rahm Immanuel, rogue pharmacies, under-insured, uninsured, United States
by PharmacyChecker.com | Dec 3, 2010 | Drug Prices, Medicare Drug Plans, Saving Money on Prescription Drugs
Just in time for the 2011 open enrollment period, UnitedHealth Group Inc. has announced that it will allow its AARP MedicareRx and AARP MedicareComplete Medicare Advantage prescription drug plan participants to purchase 30-day supplies of many generic drugs from Kroger and Safeway chain stores for just $2; 90-day supplies may cost just $4. Between these two pharmacy groups, 397 generic drugs are covered in the program, and both chain stores offer the program via mail-order pharmacy (Prescription Solutions) as well.
Simvastatin, the generic for Zocor – a cholesterol lowering drug, and Metoprolol succinate, the generic of the high blood pressure drug Toprol, are just two of many $2 drugs found on the monthly supply list. You can find a 90-day supply of Ibuprofren 400 – 800mg for just $5. To see which other generics are listed, visit the Pharmacy Saver information and search page. (more…)
Tagged with: AARP, generics, Kroger, Medicare Drug Plans, Online Pharmacies, Part D, Safeway, seniors, United States, UnitedHealth, Wal-Mart
by Gabriel Levitt, President, PharmacyChecker.com and Prescription Justice | Nov 24, 2010 | Online Pharmacy Verification Services
Click on the seal to test its validity and view the online pharmacy profile.
Just last week the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously voted for a bill – Combatting Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act – to crackdown on websites selling counterfeit products, which will include rogue online pharmacies. This could be a great thing for patient safety. However, critics argue that, if enacted, provisions in the bill will stifle free speech protected under the First Amendment, and may lead to overreaching government activities, including shutting down online pharmacies that are a safe lifeline of affordable prescription medication for American consumers. The bill raises an important topic for consumers: How do you find affordable medication online while staying away from dangerous counterfeit drugs?
Counterfeit drugs can hurt and kill those who take them. And, while the hard data is scant, experts agree that the Internet provides a channel for the sale of counterfeit drugs and some consumers fall victim to rogue online pharmacies that sell them. As AARP reports, due to the high prices of prescription drugs in the United States, millions of Americans go online to find affordable medication but in doing so put their health at risk. PharmacyChecker.com helps consumers identify websites that market and sell safe and effective drugs at an affordable price, and to avoid dangerous counterfeit drugs. Other verification services and trade associations also evaluate online pharmacies, but we believe our program is the most independent and useful for the American consumer. (more…)
Tagged with: affordable prescriptions, Canada, Counterfeit Drugs, Dr. Ram Kamath, Drug Prices, European Union, international pharmacies, Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act, Online Pharmacies, Online Pharmacy Verification Services, pharmacychecker.com, save money, Senate Judiciary Committee, seniors, United States, Verification Program, VIPPS, Wal-Mart
