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Prescription drug companies have found themselves in a lot of hot water lately for predatory behavior when it comes to selling their drugs to the public. To stop them from unfairly raking in billions of our money, consumers need to stick with the generics covered by most health insurance policies.

Earlier this year it came out that Merck and Schering-Plough's medication Vytorin wasn't any more effective than the generics available on the market. However, by spending billions in direct marketing these companies were able to make even more billions of dollars from sick Americans.

And for those people with health insurance being fooled like this stings even more. In most cases generic drugs are covered by their health insurance policy, while new and expensive drugs like Vytorin fall into the "out-of-pocket" expenses category.

Now the ads that these companies use to sell their drugs to consumers and doctors alike are under fire. According to ABC News, in 2006 drug companies spent nearly $5 billion on direct ads to consumers, an 80% increase over what they were spending in 2002. And these ads work; for every dollar spent on consumer advertising prescription drug companies made $6 in increased sales.

Too often these drugs aren't what they're supposed to be, or simply aren't any more effective than generics. This is why we always suggest that consumers go with a health insurance plan that covers generics, and avoid expensive new drugs whenever possible.