It's an eagerly awaited early benefit of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul: low-cost medical coverage for Americans with health problems who can't get a private insurer to even take a look.
Starting in July, a special high-risk pool will offer coverage to uninsured people with pre-existing health conditions at a cost similar to what everyone else pays. It's the first test of whether the administration can deliver on Obama's vision within the budget Congress set.
But some vulnerable patients are probably going to feel a little cheated. Consider this coverage wrinkle:
Suppose your cancer is in remission. You had to quit your job while you were having chemotherapy, and your employer coverage ran out. You can't find a private insurer who'll take you, but you're lucky to live in a state that has its own high-risk pool. Still, you have to struggle to pay the premiums, well above standard insurance because sicker people are in the group. Yet as the federal program is designed, you wouldn't be able to switch over and take advantage of significant savings.
The reason: You have to be uninsured to qualify for the new plan.
"It's awkward," said John Rother, senior strategist for AARP, which supported the overhaul. "None of us would want to see the program lock people in to the more expensive existing coverage, but to switch over all those people would have definitely boosted the cost, and Congress was looking for ways to minimize it."
That means some 200,000 patients now enrolled in more than 30 state high-risk insurance pools will be stuck paying higher premiums. Many are on tight budgets, drawing down their savings and borrowing from family members.
Premiums in the new federal pool are expected to be 10 percent to 50 percent lower cost than current state rates, said Richard Popper, who directs Maryland's program. Co-payments and deductibles are also expected to be considerably lower. But the only way current beneficiaries could get the federal coverage would be to drop out of their state pool and go uninsured for six months.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Monday, April 5, 2010
Obama to promote health bill's business benefits
WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama is promoting his health care law's benefits for small businesses as he tries to rally public support for the massive overhaul.
During a speech Thursday in Portland, Maine - the second stop in a series of appearances to sell the reforms - Obama was to focus on the plan's short- and long-term impacts on small businesses, many of which have suffered during the economic downturn.
Under the plan, businesses with 25 or fewer employees with average annual wages of less than $50,000 will receive tax credits this year if they provide health care coverage to their workers. Those credits are expected to increase by 2014, with 3.6 million small businesses benefiting, according to Democrats.
Also starting in 2014, companies with up to 100 employees will be able to buy insurance through new state-based purchasing pools, or exchanges, with the goal of giving small businesses the same kind of purchasing power as employees at larger companies. Twenty-two million self-employed Americans will also be able to purchase insurance through the exchanges.
Overall, the 10-year, nearly $1 trillion overhaul Obama signed into law last week will extend coverage to 32 million people who are currently uninsured and will shape how almost every American receives and pays for medical treatment.
The law doesn't require businesses to offer insurance, but hits employers with 50 or more workers with an annual fee if the companies don't insure them and the government ends up subsidizing workers' coverage. Those fines have troubled critics of the overhaul, who argue that the increased costs could bankrupt companies already trying to recover from the recession.
Many Republicans are predicting that the overhaul will prove devastating in the November elections for Democrats who voted for it. Some in the GOP are calling for the revisions to be repealed.
But in Maine, Obama will be preaching to the choir in a state that has been a leader on health care reform, establishing programs to lower prescription drug costs and extend health insurance to the working poor.
After speaking in Maine, Obama planned to travel to Boston to attend two fundraisers for the Democratic National Committee.
During a speech Thursday in Portland, Maine - the second stop in a series of appearances to sell the reforms - Obama was to focus on the plan's short- and long-term impacts on small businesses, many of which have suffered during the economic downturn.
Under the plan, businesses with 25 or fewer employees with average annual wages of less than $50,000 will receive tax credits this year if they provide health care coverage to their workers. Those credits are expected to increase by 2014, with 3.6 million small businesses benefiting, according to Democrats.
Also starting in 2014, companies with up to 100 employees will be able to buy insurance through new state-based purchasing pools, or exchanges, with the goal of giving small businesses the same kind of purchasing power as employees at larger companies. Twenty-two million self-employed Americans will also be able to purchase insurance through the exchanges.
Overall, the 10-year, nearly $1 trillion overhaul Obama signed into law last week will extend coverage to 32 million people who are currently uninsured and will shape how almost every American receives and pays for medical treatment.
The law doesn't require businesses to offer insurance, but hits employers with 50 or more workers with an annual fee if the companies don't insure them and the government ends up subsidizing workers' coverage. Those fines have troubled critics of the overhaul, who argue that the increased costs could bankrupt companies already trying to recover from the recession.
Many Republicans are predicting that the overhaul will prove devastating in the November elections for Democrats who voted for it. Some in the GOP are calling for the revisions to be repealed.
But in Maine, Obama will be preaching to the choir in a state that has been a leader on health care reform, establishing programs to lower prescription drug costs and extend health insurance to the working poor.
After speaking in Maine, Obama planned to travel to Boston to attend two fundraisers for the Democratic National Committee.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Health reform draws pharmacy’s support, but alarm from insurance industry
Passage of the mammoth health-reform bill Sunday night by the U.S. House of Representatives is drawing guarded support from several sectors of healthcare industry, including community pharmacy providers, physician groups and the pharmaceutical industry. But the insurance industry is expressing alarm over provisions in the bill aimed at forcing insurers to cover Americans regardless of pre-existing conditions.
The bill — expected to be signed into law as early as today by President Obama — will add 32 million more Americans to the rolls of the insured, according to widely used estimates, and will cost roughly $940 billion over the next decade, the Congressional Budget Office predicted. However, those costs will be offset by cuts in Medicare payments to doctors and hospitals, and by increased taxes on Americans earning more than $250,000 a year; the result will be a net savings over the next decade of $130 billion, the CBO estimates.
For pharmacy retailers, the House bill retains some key pharmacy-friendly elements long sought by the industry [see story posted earlier today by Drug Store News online editor Allison Cerra]. Among those provisions: a higher payment formula for Medicaid prescriptions, an end to some recently imposed curbs on the sale of durable medical equipment and diabetic supplies by retail pharmacies, and new transparency requirements on pharmacy benefit management companies. The bill also would fund a series of pilot programs to demonstrate the viability of medication therapy management by pharmacists, as well as improvements to the Medicare Part D MTM benefit.
Representing the drug industry, the trade group Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America [PhRMA] issued a statement late Sunday in support of comprehensive health care reform and accompanying reconciliation legislation in the House. “We continue to believe that comprehensive health care reform will benefit patients and the future of America,” noted the group. “That’s why we…support action by the House to approve the Senate-passed bill along with the amendments found in the reconciliation legislation. Read more....
The bill — expected to be signed into law as early as today by President Obama — will add 32 million more Americans to the rolls of the insured, according to widely used estimates, and will cost roughly $940 billion over the next decade, the Congressional Budget Office predicted. However, those costs will be offset by cuts in Medicare payments to doctors and hospitals, and by increased taxes on Americans earning more than $250,000 a year; the result will be a net savings over the next decade of $130 billion, the CBO estimates.
For pharmacy retailers, the House bill retains some key pharmacy-friendly elements long sought by the industry [see story posted earlier today by Drug Store News online editor Allison Cerra]. Among those provisions: a higher payment formula for Medicaid prescriptions, an end to some recently imposed curbs on the sale of durable medical equipment and diabetic supplies by retail pharmacies, and new transparency requirements on pharmacy benefit management companies. The bill also would fund a series of pilot programs to demonstrate the viability of medication therapy management by pharmacists, as well as improvements to the Medicare Part D MTM benefit.
Representing the drug industry, the trade group Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America [PhRMA] issued a statement late Sunday in support of comprehensive health care reform and accompanying reconciliation legislation in the House. “We continue to believe that comprehensive health care reform will benefit patients and the future of America,” noted the group. “That’s why we…support action by the House to approve the Senate-passed bill along with the amendments found in the reconciliation legislation. Read more....
Friday, March 12, 2010
How to give your dog a pill or tablet
To give a dog a pill, slip your thumb into the space behind one of the canine teeth and press upward on the roof of the mouth. As the mouth begins to open, press down on the lower jaw with the opposite thumb. Alternatively, press in on both lips from above the muzzle. As the skin pushes in behind the canines, the dog will open her mouth.
Insert the pill well to the back of the tongue in the middle of the mouth. If you place the pill too far forward or to the side of the tongue, the dog will spit it out. Close the dog's mouth and massage or rub her throat until she swallows. If the dog licks her nose, the pill has been swallowed. Blowing briefly into the dog's nose may also cause her to quickly swallow the pill. You can also give her a syringe full of water to make sure she swallows, or give the dog a small treat after the pill goes down.
Do not break the pill up into a powder. Powders have an unpleasant taste that dogs don't accept well. Some pills also have a protective coating that is important for the delayed release of the medication, and crushing the pill will destroy the coating.
Some pills can be given in food. This can be done by making up small 'meatballs' of dog food. Give the dog one or two undoctored meatballs, then one with the pill pushed deep into the center. Follow up with an undoctored one so the dog will continue to take the treats even if she gets a small taste of the medicine.
Remember: Don't give your pet meds until you have spoken to your veterinarian to make sure it is the right medicine for the dog and the circumstances. You should also ask for instructions on how to give the drug and the correct dosage for your dog.
Insert the pill well to the back of the tongue in the middle of the mouth. If you place the pill too far forward or to the side of the tongue, the dog will spit it out. Close the dog's mouth and massage or rub her throat until she swallows. If the dog licks her nose, the pill has been swallowed. Blowing briefly into the dog's nose may also cause her to quickly swallow the pill. You can also give her a syringe full of water to make sure she swallows, or give the dog a small treat after the pill goes down.
Do not break the pill up into a powder. Powders have an unpleasant taste that dogs don't accept well. Some pills also have a protective coating that is important for the delayed release of the medication, and crushing the pill will destroy the coating.
Some pills can be given in food. This can be done by making up small 'meatballs' of dog food. Give the dog one or two undoctored meatballs, then one with the pill pushed deep into the center. Follow up with an undoctored one so the dog will continue to take the treats even if she gets a small taste of the medicine.
Remember: Don't give your pet meds until you have spoken to your veterinarian to make sure it is the right medicine for the dog and the circumstances. You should also ask for instructions on how to give the drug and the correct dosage for your dog.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
New survey finds teens lack negative perceptions about many drugs
While there was no significant increase in the abuse of over-the-counter cough medicines containing dextromethorphan, a new survery released Tuesday found an overall waning in teens’ negative perceptions about many drugs along with increases in abuse rates for alcohol, ecstasy and marijuana, the Consumer Healthcare Products Association released in a statement...
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
FDA Approves Generic Flomax (Tamsulosin)
Condition known as benign prostatic hyperplasia common in older men
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the first generic version of Flomax Capsules 0.4 mg (tamsulosin hydrochloride) to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), a condition in which an enlarged prostate gland causes problems with urination.
The most common symptoms of BPH include a weak stream during urination, urgency, leaking or dribbling, as well as more frequent urination, especially at night. BPH is common among older men. According to the National Institutes of Health, it rarely causes symptoms before age 40, but more than half of men in their 60s and as many as 90 percent of men older than 70 have BPH symptoms.
"The approval of generic tamsulosin offers greater access to a widely used treatment for BPH," said Gary Buehler, director of the FDA’s Office of Generic Drugs. "FDA is committed to making generic drugs available to patients and these drugs meet the same rigid standards as the brand name drugs."
The prescribing information and safety warnings for the generic version of tamsulosin are the same as those for Flomax Capsules. Generic tamsulosin capsules are manufactured by IMPAX Laboratories Inc. of Hayward, Calif. Information about the marketing and availability of this and other generic drug can be obtained from the manufacturer (IMPAX).
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the first generic version of Flomax Capsules 0.4 mg (tamsulosin hydrochloride) to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), a condition in which an enlarged prostate gland causes problems with urination.
The most common symptoms of BPH include a weak stream during urination, urgency, leaking or dribbling, as well as more frequent urination, especially at night. BPH is common among older men. According to the National Institutes of Health, it rarely causes symptoms before age 40, but more than half of men in their 60s and as many as 90 percent of men older than 70 have BPH symptoms.
"The approval of generic tamsulosin offers greater access to a widely used treatment for BPH," said Gary Buehler, director of the FDA’s Office of Generic Drugs. "FDA is committed to making generic drugs available to patients and these drugs meet the same rigid standards as the brand name drugs."
The prescribing information and safety warnings for the generic version of tamsulosin are the same as those for Flomax Capsules. Generic tamsulosin capsules are manufactured by IMPAX Laboratories Inc. of Hayward, Calif. Information about the marketing and availability of this and other generic drug can be obtained from the manufacturer (IMPAX).
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