Julie Grabow, an oncologist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, recently prescribed an exciting new therapy for a 60-year-old woman with metastatic breast cancer — Afinitor made by Novartis. There was a catch, though. Novartis is charging $10,000 per month for the drug
Washington ranked fourth highest nationally in per-capita prescribing of methadone in 2006 (the most recent year for which reliable data is available) and 11th for oxycodone — the two biggest killers.
If you are prescribed one of these drugs, the provider who dispenses the drug to you is required to supply the system with your name, address, date of birth, the name of the prescribed drug and doctor who prescribed it, and where you picked it up.
Federal officials are extending the Dec. 7 deadline for three days for some people who have had trouble enrolling in a Medicare prescription drug or private health plan because of the crush of last-minute sign-ups. Calls to Medicare’s toll-free information line, 800-633-4227 can be made until midnight tonight. “It is critical that people with Medicare who want to make a change in their coverage act today.”
Seniors have only two weeks left to choose a new Medicare Advantage or prescription drug plan, if they want to change from their current ones.
More than a quarter of Medicare’s rated prescription drug plans and, unless they take steps to improve, face expulsion from Medicare.
Because of increases in the number of generics, the average daily cost of drugs dropped one-third from 2005 to 2010, and should drop another third between now and 2015.
Medicare’s open enrollment season begins – and ends – earlier than ever this year. Seniors who want to switch to a different drug or Medicare Advantage plan need to act by December 7th.
Employers struggling to keep down insurance costs are increasingly requiring workers to pay a percentage of high-cost drugs rather than a modest co-pay.
Extra Help: Some Medicare beneficiaries could qualify for assistance with their prescription drug costs, and be eligible this year to pay no more than $2.50 for generic drugs and $6.30 for each brand name drug,
“Studies consistently show that up to half of patients do not take their medicines as prescribed.”
The brand-name pharmaceutical industry has a drug problem: All 10 of the most prescribed medicines in the U.S. last year were generics, led by the defending champion generic equivalents of the pain-reliever Vicodin.
LocalHealthGuide is a health news and information web service for Seattle and the Puget Sound Region. We are independent and unaffiliated with any hospital, medical association or insurer. If you have questions or if your group has an upcoming event that you would like us to cover, please let us know by going to our "Contact Us" page and dropping us a note. -- Michael McCarthy, Editor
Enter your email address below to receive updates each time we publish new content.
Seattle Times Health News
Experts divided over recommendation to screen children for cholesterol
Some clinicians say universal screening is an important tool to help identify children who are genetically predisposed to high cholesterol and to pinpoint others who could benefit from treatment. Others express concerns that screening may do more harm than good.
People in state high-risk insurance plans often feel left behind
The federal health law set up new plans that are cheaper and more comprehensive than the older ones run by states but consumers need to go without insurance for six months to qualify.
Peeking in on your doctor’s notes
Although federal law guarantees patients the right to examine and get copies of their medical records, providers haven’t always made it easy to do so. But the movement to give patients direct access to their health information has picked up steam, and policymakers have encouraged it as a way to empower patients to help manage their health and their medical care.
Add to Google
Recent Comments