by Gabriel Levitt, President, PharmacyChecker.com and Prescription Justice | May 11, 2010 | Healthcare Reform
We reported and discussed the generally positive changes to Medicare’s Part D brought about by the new healthcare law, including a 50% reduction of drug prices during the coverage gap (the “doughnut hole”) in 2011. But the devil is always in the details. According to AARP, federal regulations drafted by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) may provide loopholes for some insurers whereby not all plans would have to meet this requirement. The AARP notes that it will closely monitor the actions of pharmaceutical companies to ensure that they are living up to their commitments to bring down drug prices for our seniors and other Medicare enrollees. PharmacyChecker.com commits to do the same and to help those who are falling through the cracks by providing information about finding safe and affordable medication online.
Tagged with: Healthcare Reform, Medicare, pharmaceutical companies, seniors
by Gabriel Levitt, President, PharmacyChecker.com and Prescription Justice | May 6, 2010 | Medicare Drug Plans
Seniors and others on Medicare have enough trouble affording their prescription drugs and navigating the rough waters of finding the right drug plans. That there are con artists on the loose seeking to extract payments from the unsuspecting senior adds insult to injury. But savvy seniors will not be taken!! Here are the scams to look out for…
- Door-to-door salespeople and off-hours calling; agents must have an appointment and cannot call before 8a.m. or after 9p.m.
- Agents with invalid licenses. Confirm that they are valid and authorized.
- Agents asking for personal information (social security number, bank accounts) before first bill has been received. The Social Security Administration will never contact you over the phone or by e-mail.
- Unverified plans; check with 1-800-MEDICARE or www.medicare.gov.
- Prizes or rewards in exchange for enrolling.
Source: InjuryBoard.com
You can read and write reviews of Medicare drug plans at www.medicaredrugplans.com.
Tagged with: Medicare, Medicare Drug Plans, seniors
by Gabriel Levitt, President, PharmacyChecker.com and Prescription Justice | May 3, 2010 | Politics
One of the co-sponsors of the Pharmaceutical Market Access and Drug Safety Act, with Senator Byron Dorgan, was recently honored for “her ongoing advocacy of policies and initiatives that seek to improve the lives of older Americans age 50-plus.” Senator Olympia Snowe (R – ME) was awarded the 2009 Legislative Leadership Award by AARP for her support and efforts toward quality healthcare, especially affordable prescription drugs. This shows just how concerned our leading senior’s organization is with high cost of prescription drugs in this country. That AARP’s focus was on Snowe’s efforts to legalize safe personal drug importation speaks volumes that this issue will persist in the aftermath of the new healthcare legislation.
Tagged with: Dorgan, Drug Prices, Healthcare Reform, personal drug importation, Snowe
by Gabriel Levitt, President, PharmacyChecker.com and Prescription Justice | Apr 26, 2010 | Online Pharmacies
In 2008, the National Center for Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA) published a report about the prevalence and dangers of rouge online pharmacies that illegally sell controlled substances. We support CASA’s efforts to protect consumers from dangerous drug-selling websites, especially those that sell addictive drugs, and since 2003 have raised public awareness about the dangers of rogue online pharmacies. As part of its research, CASA found rogue pharmacies on Google’s sponsored results. However, it wrongly assumed that all such sites were approved by PharmacyChecker.com. Soon after, the New York Times published an article covering CASA’s report, which included the same faulty assumption. (more…)
Tagged with: CASA, Google, NYT, Online Pharmacy Verification Services, pharmacychecker.com, rogue pharmacies
by Gabriel Levitt, Vice President, PharmacyChecker.com and Margaret Rode, PharmacyChecker.com | Apr 23, 2010 | Politics
Although his bill to legalize personal drug importation was not passed along with the new healthcare legislation, Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND) has partnered with Governor Brian Schweitzer (D-MT) to continue efforts to make safe and affordable medication accessible to their constituents. They are petitioning the Health and Human Services Secretary, Kathleen Sebelius, to allow their states to import prescription medicines from Canada, where price controls mean much lower drug costs for consumers. Dorgan and Schweitzer support personal drug importation because it will mean an estimated $400 million in annual savings for their states, as well as competitive pricing pressure on U.S. drug prices. (more…)
Tagged with: Dorgan, Drug Importation, I-Save RX, Schwetizer, Sebelius
by Gabriel Levitt, President, PharmacyChecker.com and Prescription Justice | Apr 22, 2010 | Drug Prices
For most industries, prices were stagnant in 2009. In fact, the consumer price index was down 0.4% last year (ftp://ftp.bls.gov/pub/special.requests/cpi/cpiai.txt). But according to the Wall Street Journal, drug prices in the United States were up by 9.1%, the largest increase in more than a decade. Below is an analysis of the prices of two popular prescription drugs identified in the WSJ as showing the greatest increases, the cost for an uninsured American at a local New York City pharmacy, and how much they could save through personal drug importation via a verified online pharmacy.
| | Per Pill Cost[i] | | | Potential Savings | | |
| Medication Name: Brand (Generic) | Strength | U.S[ii] | Canada[iii] | NZ/UK[iv] | Canada | Other Int'l | Overall |
| Tegretol (Carbamazepine) | 200mg | $2.87 | $0.77 | $0.57 | 73% | 80% | 80% |
| Cleocin HCl (Clindamycin) [v] | 300mg caps | $24.00 | $3.38 | NA | 86% | NA | 86% |
| Catapres (Clonidine HCl) | 0.1mg | $3.34 | $0.45 | NA | 86% | NA | 86% |
| Sandimmune (Cyclosporine) | 100mg /mL 50mL | $664.84 | $327.98 | NA | 51% | NA | 51% |
| Lanoxin (Digoxin)[vi] | 0.125mg | $12.54 | $0.75 | NA | 94% | NA | 94% |
| Depakote (Divalproex)[vii] | 250mg | $5.73 | $0.90 | NA | 84% | NA | 84% |
| Zarontin (Ethosuximide) | 250mg | $4.51 | $0.66 | NA | 85% | NA | 85% |
| Synthroid (Levothyroxine) | 100 mcg (0.1mg) | $1.87 | $0.35 | $0.63 | 81% | 66% | 81% |
| Dilantin (Phenytoin) | 100mg | $1.45 | $0.33 | $0.48 | 77% | 67% | 77% |
| Depakene (Valproic acid) | 250mg | $5.76 | $0.93 | NA | 84% | NA | 84% |
| Coumadin (Warfarin) | 5mg | $3.69 | $0.60 | NA | 84% | NA | 84% |
*Prices as of 4/21/2010
The chief medical officer of Express Scripts, one of the largest pharmacy benefit mangers, is quoted in the article as saying that the price increases on brand name drugs were “exacerbated by the health-care reform debate,” suggesting that drug companies are jacking up prices before they are required to give rebates under Medicaid and Medicare. Some pharmaceutical companies countered that their “price adjustments,” in part, were based on a strategy to ensure consumer access to medications. Raising prices at rates not seen in a decade doesn’t seem like a great way to ensure consumer access to medications, especially during a year plagued by economic recession and major job losses.
Tagged with: consumer price index, cpi, Express Scripts, medicaid, Medicare, pharmaceutical companies
