prescription costs

Prescription Drug Prices Wildly Up

Armand Biroonak — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400

From 2002 to 2007, prescription drug prices increased by 50 percent, more than 2½ times faster than inflation.

Americans Struggle with Prescription Costs

Armand Biroonak — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Eight in ten Americans think that the cost of prescription drugs is too high, and four in ten report struggling to pay for medication prescribed by their doctors.

29% Forego Medicine Due to Costs

Armand Biroonak — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Twenty-nine percent of Americans go without prescribed medication due to its cost.

Medicare Part D Can't Negotiate Prices

Armand Biroonak — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Medicare Part D's drug prices are the only federal program that doesn’t negotiate a fair price --its prices are handled by more than 2,000 private insurance plans. Yet, Medicaid, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Defense, the Public Health Service, the Bureau of Prisons, and other federal agencies all buy drugs at negotiated prices.

Price Negotiations Can Save Medicare Billions

Armand Biroonak — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400

If Medicare were allowed to negotiate drug prices with manufacturers, the program would save approximately $90 billion a year, which could be passed along to the elderly in the form of lower costs or greater benefits.

Co-Payments Soar for Drugs With High Prices

Alex Carter — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 14:00:03 -0400

Health insurance companies are rapidly adopting a new pricing system for very expensive drugs, asking patients to pay hundreds and even thousands of dollars for prescriptions for medications that may save their lives or slow the progress of serious diseases.