Healthcare Shopper News

For the informed consumer of health care

CVS to Sell 400 Generic Drugs for $9.99 per 90-day Supply

CVS Drugstores, one of the largest national drugstore chains, announced it will sell 90-day supplies of more than 400 generic prescription drugs for $9.99. Wal-Mart started a similar program a few years ago. The $9.99 CVS offer is just a penny less than Wal-Mart's $10 charge for a 90-day supply. In order to get the $9.99 generic deal, customers must enroll in the program by paying an annual fee of $10. These cut rate prices are a relief for consumers... read more

Posted by Phil Daigle on October 31, 2008 3:44 PM
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Down Economy Impacts Health Care

The economy has tanked. People are getting laid off. Bank accounts are shrinking. We fear that it will get worse. All this is causing people to demand low-cost generic drugs and split pills, forgo recommended screening tests and delay elective procedures, perhaps even turn to home remedies. The number of people who have gone without a prescription or skipped a doctor's appointment for themselves or a child has increased since last year. In addition, this summer saw the first decline... read more

Posted by Phil Daigle on October 28, 2008 3:24 PM
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Cost Plus Medical Billing Preys on the Uninsured

I'm in the health insurance business, but I was recently blown away by the absurdity of the medical billing system. I have lower back pain from a condition called spondylolisthesis. That's basically a slippage of one of the vertebra in my lower back that pinches the nerves and causes sciatic pain. When the pain gets bad, I get an epidural injection that takes away my pain for a couple of months at a time. The outpatient surgical center billed $4,136... read more

Posted by Phil Daigle on September 8, 2008 2:32 PM
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Declining Mental Skills as Markers of Death in Old Age

My mother is 89 years old and suffers from advanced dementia so I'm perhaps more interested than most of you in new information about the aging brain. Having said that, I find fascinating the results of a recently published study published in the August 27, 2008, online issue of Neurology® - the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study documents 30 years of testing of people's mental skills from age 70 to death. The study involved 288... read more

Posted by Phil Daigle on August 29, 2008 12:02 PM
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The Uninsured Pay More and Get Less Medical Care than the Insured

Americans without health insurance for any part of 2008 will spend $30 billion of their own money for medical care. Many cannot pay their own expenses and they rack up another $56 billion in medical expenses. Most of that amount - $43 billion - is paid by various state and federal government programs: $18 billion by Medicare and Medicaid, $15 billion by state and local government indigent programs, and $10 billion by the Veterans Administration. The uninsured that pay out... read more

Posted by Phil Daigle on August 26, 2008 4:00 PM
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Prostate Screening No Longer Recommended for Men Over 75

For years, the medical community has assumed that the early detection of prostate cancer by PSA testing improved health outcomes of all men tested. Now, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends against routine cancer screening for men over 75. PSA tests do dectect the disease, but more harm than good can be done with treatment, starting with prostate biopsy and perhaps surgery and or radiation and chemotherapy. The recommendation is based on the fact that the average 75... read more

Posted by Phil Daigle on August 8, 2008 11:01 AM
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Your Prescription History May Keep You From Getting Health Insurance

Databases with the prescription drug histories of 200 million Americans are now being used by many health insurance companies to evaluate applications for individual health insurance. The data work like a credit report for health. The data originate with pharmacy benefit managers and contain details like the prescribing doctor, dates, drugs, dosages, etc.. The benefit companies then give their client insurance companies access for a fee. Insurance companies can better evaluate the expected risk for a particular applicant so this... read more

Posted by Phil Daigle on August 5, 2008 3:04 PM
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Necessary Medical Care Increasingly Ignored

One in every 5 Americans put off or avoided necessary medical care in 2007. That’s a 43% increase in this behavior over the past four years. Obviously, the higher cost of medical care was a big factor. So was the increased cost of health insurance, leading to more uninsured residents – 38% of uninsured residents ignored necessary medical care. The report is available online.... read more

Posted by Phil Daigle on June 30, 2008 2:54 PM
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Retail Medical Clinic Operators Hit a Rough Patch

Retail walk-in medical clinics in pharmacies are proving more difficult to establish than initially thought. The clinics are more complicated and expensive to operate. It seems, operators and investors were overly optimistic in their return on investment estimates. The clinics are experiencing an 18 to 24 month break-even rather than the initial projections of a six month break-even. Much of the added cost is in marketing to make the public aware the service exists in each market and to gain... read more

Posted by Phil Daigle on May 14, 2008 10:32 AM
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Florida Health Reform Legislation Passed

The state of Florida has passed health insurance legislation that will allow insurance carriers to offer bare-bones coverage for as little as $150 per month. Aimed at Florida’s 3.8 million uninsured residents, the plans would be exempt from existing state-mandated coverage requirements. For instance the plans would not be required to offer coverage for long-term hospitalizations or treatment from specialists, but would cover preventive care and office visits.... read more

Posted by Phil Daigle on May 8, 2008 1:45 PM
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