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Imagine buying a car on discount, only to find that the sticker price had been increased substantially. That's how Ron Pollack, executive director of the health consumer organization Families USA, describes the Medicare drug discount card program, which began offering temporary cards to Medicare recipients in June.
"As drug prices continue to skyrocket, the discount card program is like a used car salesman who offers a $3,000 discount after he increased the sticker price by $4,000," Pollack said.
Through the program, whose full benefits are expected to take effect in 2006, Medicare beneficiaries are entitled to discounts on various drugs, with prices and availability not guaranteed.
The deduction does little for price relief, the program's critics say. A discount on base-price markups is no discount at all.
In fact, the cost of the 50 most commonly prescribed drugs for seniors is rising faster than the rate of inflation, according to studies by Families USA. Claritin, for example, rose 21 percent from 2002 to 2003, nearly 12 times the rate of inflation.
With pricey prescriptions, bills, groceries and other essentials, many seniors often can't afford to pay for it all and are forced to choose one over another, or to look to family for financial help.
And older Americans aren't the only ones experiencing sticker shock. Rising drug costs affect everyone from employers and insurers to everyday consumers.
That is why more Americans are turning to other countries for affordable prescription drugs, thanks to local storefronts and online pharmacies that provide American consumers access to them.
Why the price difference? Countries like Canada, for instance, curb brand-name drug prices, limiting the amount of money pharmaceutical manufacturers can charge for medications. Medicare, on the other hand, is prohibited from negotiating with manufacturers for moderate drug prices. Coupled with a weaker Canadian dollar ($100 Canadian to $67 American), American consumers who fill prescriptions through Canadian pharmacies pay 30 percent to 80 percent less than at their local pharmacies.
One company gaining in popularity with prescription-taking Americans is RX Processing Corp. (OTC:RXPC). The company utilizes a licensed pharmacy group from Canada with more than 1,500 brand-name medications such as Lipitor and Celebrex, as well as generic drugs, all available online through MyCanada Drugs.com.
Canadian licensed physicians and pharmacists handle the medications, which are approved by a Canadian Standards Commission. RX Processing provides the same safe government-approved medications as a local pharmacy - only cheaper.
With a physician's prescription, RX Processing can ship a maximum 90-day supply.
For more information on RX Processing Corp. and its services, or to have a prescription filled, visit www.mycanadadrugs.com or call 1-800-576-7055. - NU |
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