Prescription Medications at Affordable
Prices
Healthcare in
America may be the best available, but it
is of little value if unaffordable. The
costs for advances in pharmaceutical
research is outstripping our ability to pay
for advanced products.. Medications are too
pricey for most Americans to buy, and the
problem is worsening.
Employers are
limiting healthcare coverage for employees
as health insurance premiums spiral upward.
As the
pharmaceutical companies overhead soar, so
too, does the price of their products.
Senior
citizens are the fastest growing members of
our population. Geriatric patient have a
half dozen preparations to take daily, yet,
are unable to afford them. Sadly, therefore,
each must decide which of their chronic
conditions to treat each day.
Medicare does
not yet cover prescription medications.
Over the
counter products don’t regularly come at
lower prices; their value is their
availability without the additional cost of
a physician visit.
The
discriminating customer can be effective in
shopping for discount medications without
sacrificing value. Just as we shop for the
‘best deal’ at the supermarket, and
department store, the discerning shopper can
be rewarded.
The following
websites offer a good beginning. Nineteen
web sites are listed.
Several are
Canadian supplies houses offering both
standard and generic products for
medications sold in America.often at
discounts of 50% or more.
Several sites
listed offer free medications to patients
requiring assistance and meeting their
qualifications.
Medicare lists
their website and offer direction for those
in need including other non-Medicare links.
Some sites
offer generic medications at discount
prices.
Some sites
offer products prescribed by their in-house
physicians for patients without physicians
to write prescriptions for them.
A bit of
personal research on these sites should
prove helpful to those seeking assistance in
this significant arena.
Here are some
resources to help:
-
PhARMA
In 2002, PhRMA members
provided free prescription medicines to
more than 5.5 million patients in the
United States.
-
HelpingPatients.org, a new
interactive Web site by
PhRMA and 48 of its member companies.
This site was designed to help you find
patient assistance programs for which you
may qualify. This online service is free
and
completely confidential - we do not
keep records of any personally
identifiable information. All you have to
do is answer a few short questions. It
will only take a few moments of your time.
-
Medicare:
www.medicare.gov
-
AARP Resources:
-
TrustPharma:
www.trustpharma.com
d
Bill Ziering,
M.D.
|
