Why We Need Cheap Prescription Drugs FastJune, 2007
MSN Health has recently released a study on migraine patients, revealing that the high costs of individual health insurance, combined with poor coverage, is eating away at patients' quality of life. The best answer to this quandary? We need cheap prescription drugs, and fast.
According to the article, "insurance restrictions and out-of-pocket costs cause many migraine sufferers to not take medications when needed because they're concerned about running out of the drugs." And the result? "The study also found that 79% of patients who waited to take pain medication said migraines had a severe negative impact on their quality of life, compared to 51% who took their medication at the first sign of a migraine."
The need for cheap prescription drugs has been gathering more support lately, as other studies also find that older, non-white Americans are delaying the use of important and potentially life-saving medications because of costs.
Furthermore, the rising costs of medications and expensive procedures are one of the main reasons why individual health insurance premiums have gone up, and
group health insurance plans have become both more expensive and less likely to cover such costs. Health insurance agencies have to absorb the costs for these new medications, and as pharmaceutical companies push consumers and doctors for more prescriptions, costs keep going up.
Facts on:
Individual Health Insurance
Did you know...
Older, non-white Americans are delaying the use of important medications due to costs?
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In search of cheap prescription drugs many people turn to the Internet, or cross the border into Canada and Mexico for substitutes. But this can be dangerous, since Internet "drug stores" can sell outdated or imposter medications, and the same can apply in other countries.
For now, the best thing consumers can do is search for an
individual health insurance policy that covers generic drugs, and rely on them as much as at all possible. It's also good to ask a doctor about alternative medications and treatments that can cost less than new or expensive medications. And, by actively searching for alternatives to expensive prescription drugs, pharmaceutical companies will be forced to lower costs in order to compete.
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