Archive for the ‘Medicare’ Category

U.S. Census Finds More Americans Living to 90

Posted by on February 24th, 2012

The fastest growing group in the United States is the 90-plus population as more and more Americans are living longer and healthier lives, but the costs for many seniors to maintain their lifestyle into old age is also growing dramatically.

By midcentury the population of Americans over 90 is expected to reach over 8 million and represent over 2% of the population. There were only 720,000 Americans over 90 in 1980, and in 2010 this number had almost tripled to 1.9 million. In the 2010 census the numbers show the majority of those age 90 or older had one or more disabilities and were also much more likely than those ages 65-89 to live in poverty. This is especially troubling as the rate of seniors in poverty already out paces the levels of the average population.

The annual average income for people aged 90 and older was $14,760. Men had a higher income than women — $20,133 vs. $13,580. Social Security made up about 48 percent of total income. Some 15 percent of the age 90-and-older population lives in poverty.

While Medicare covers 99% of those in this demographic, the census also showed that 40 percent of the 90-and-older population bought additional private health insurance coverage from an insurance company. The cost of prescription medication is a major part of the overall income for this demographic, as the average 90 plus American is taking between 5-7 daily medications, and they often have trouble when falling in the Medicare doughnut hole.

Canada Drugs, Canadian pharmacy already serves a great deal of customers who are over 90, and even a few over 100! Our discount drug prices, and direct cash savings are often able to help seniors suffering in between coverage levels in Medicare, and with no premiums or plans we are often a better saving option than locking into drug insurance plan through a private insurance company.  The advances in medicine and better prescription drugs are allowing more and more of us to live longer and better lives, but it’s not without a cost. With Americans drug prices being the highest in the world, we offer those age 92, or 62 or 22, an affordable alternative and a way to save money on prescription drug costs.

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Proposal promises Medicare premiums to rise for upper-income retirees

Posted by on December 13th, 2011

The debate over the year-end economic package that is going forward in the House of Representatives next week may contain a provision that will involve a comprise between Congressional Republicans and Democrats and could see Medicare premiums rise for higher income retirees.

Republicans are against a proposal that would increase taxes on those in higher income brackets but have floated the idea that budget savings could be found by instead requiring those earning beyond $1 million to pay full price for Medicare. Democrats are likely to reject the GOP approach, as they oppose cutting Medicare or other government programs unless they are part of broader efforts at federal deficit reduction. The Associated Press details more on the ongoing budget battle and how it could affect Medicare premiums going forward in their story.

Conservative leaning website Investors Business Daily writes that 5% of Medicare enrollees have more than $1 million in savings and that roughly $2.6 billion dollars was spent on health care subsides for the richest 1% of enrollees. A concern that is being raised over the discussed premium proposal is that “High income” for Medicare beneficiaries currently means those making $85,000 and above for individuals, or $170,000 for families. This raises the point that many Americans who don’t consider themselves to wealthy may actually be affected down the road by this plan to phase out benefits for wealthier enrollees. The new Republican plan would drop the thresholds to $80,000 for an individual and $160,000 for families.

The AARP is fighting the proposed increase and saying it’s tantamount to a tax increase and will affect middle class retirees as well.

This is debate that Canadian Pharmacies like CanadaDrugs.com will watch as it unfolds. The benefit of our no plans, no premiums, and no deductible savings, is that we offer our customers pure cash savings on their prescription drug orders. We save Americans that without our low-cost prescriptions would be unable to afford their medication, as well as saving Americans that can afford their deductibles, but have done the math and realized that buying direct from us is still cheaper than going through their insurance or Medicare when they’re trapped in the doughnut hole. No matter what the decision on raising Medicare premiums, we’ll be here to offer an affordable alternative to Americans of all income brackets.

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“Stop Medicare Fraud” Info Campaign Launched

Posted by on March 24th, 2011

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services launched a campaign across the U.S to inform and educate older Americans about Medicare scams and helps them reduce the chance of fraud affecting them or costing the program the estimated $60 billion that is lost each year to scams. These Fraud schemes may be carried out by individuals, companies, or groups of individuals.

Not only can Medicare fraud risk your personal information falling into scamster’s hands, but those billions and billions of dollars wasted only serve to drive up health care costs and risk higher premiums or less benefits for seniors to access in the future.

The campaign urges older people never to give sensitive information, such as their Social Security, Medicare and bank account numbers, to someone they don’t know, and not to give personal information over the phone.

Some of the common types of fraud that the Department of Health and Human Services warns people to be aware of include:

  • A health care provider bills Medicare for services you never received.
  • A supplier bills Medicare for equipment you never got.
  • Someone uses another person’s Medicare card to get medical care, supplies, or equipment.
  • Someone bills Medicare for home medical equipment after it has been returned.
  • A company offers a Medicare drug plan that has not been approved by Medicare.
  • A company uses false information to mislead you into joining a Medicare plan.

A great brochure is available from the new web site that has been launched as part of this campaign, which also includes public service announcement commercials running on TV and radio. The website is called www.stopmedicarefraud.gov and you can download a brochure to learn more about how to avoid becoming a victim of Medicare fraud.

At Canada Drugs we encourage all our patients that are also using Medicare benefits to be aware of fraud and remember that we can also help you Maximize Your Medicare. Many CanadaDrugs.com customers have saved hundreds, even thousands, of dollars annually using our Personal Savings Strategy that allows them to get the most out of Medicare, while also saving direct on some medications with our Canadian Pharmacy‘s low prices.

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Medicare Part D Enrollment Period

Posted by on October 20th, 2010

The sign-up period for Medicare Part D (Medicare’s prescription drug program) for 2011 runs Nov. 15 to Dec. 31. With dozens and dozens of plans available in most parts of the country, the fall annual enrollment period can be a complex chore for Medicare beneficiaries — and sometimes for adult children helping out elderly parents with money matters. It’s best to start early on your Medicare Part D plan for 2011, so you are not left scrambling to make a decision over the Christmas holidays, that just so happen to collide with the last week of the enrollment period!

At Canada Drugs, Canadian Pharmacy we offer a Personal Savings Strategy for our valued customers to consider at this time of year. Our goal is to provide you with information that helps you save even more money while improving your coverage through the Medicare Part D program that you choose. Our Medicare Team in our call centre can also work with you over the phone to discuss your drug options and find the plan that can best realize you and your loved ones savings on their prescription drugs.

There are a lot of plans to review — an average of 33 per state, and the plans change each year, so the plan you had in 2010 may shed some drug options or raise some costs. So don’t just stick with the plan you had for 2010: compare, compare, compare and compare again. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, the average premium increase will be 10%, or $40.72 per month, though plans can run lower or higher. You may find upon review of your 2010 plan that incorporating direct cost savings from Canada Drugs might be a better overall fit than enrollment in your previous Medicare part D insurance plan. That’s why it’s a great time to review this fall, so you don’t end up paying too much for drugs in 2011.

The New York Times ran an article earlier this month with a handy review of the some of the many changes in both Medicare Part D and other Medicare plans that take effect in 2011. The government medicare.gov website offers tools to find private insurer plans in your area and to compare prices and coverage and is a good starting point if you are confused about 2011 enrollment changes.

It’s an important choice for you to make, and it’s best to stay informed, as choosing a plan that is bad fit can cost you thousands of dollars more a year in drug costs. Canada Drugs, as the global leader in prescription drug savings, is dedicated to offering our customers access to affordable prescription drugs. Many of our customers are finding that combining out-of-pocket cash savings with Canada Drugs low priced prescription products with a smart Medicare-Part D plan is the best path to maximum savings.

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Avoid the Medicare Part-D Doughnut Hole! Save Big With CanadaDrugs.com

Posted by on August 11th, 2010

Major drug manufactures have been pressured by the Obama administration to sign off on a plan to offer Medicare enrollees who have reached their coverage gap, also known as the “doughnut hole,” with savings on brand-name prescription medication.  The full story is covered in yesterday’s PharmaTimes, the major independent monthly for the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and health care industries.

While it is positive that American seniors struggling with the highest prescription drug costs in the world will see some relief, it is also true that this announcement will not make a significant difference for most American prescription buyer’s because even with this plan the high cost of drugs will still be prohibitive to those who currently struggle to budget for them. Right now enrollees in Medicare part D, the federal health insurance program for seniors, hit their doughnut hole when they reach an out-of-pocket drug cost of $2830 for the year; the plan kicks back into action when these out-of-pocket exceed $4550.

Canada Drugs, Canadian Pharmacy, has for over a decade helped Americans struggling with high drugs costs have an affordable option to maintain the drugs that they need. Post-Medicare Part D we have still been able to save our customers much more than they could by just opting for the government and Big Pharma endorsed plan.

With the cooperation of several dozen of our patients we studied their costs under Medicare and the potential impact of closing the doughnut hole and what it would mean for their actual out-of-pocket drug expenses, because we recognize that every extra dollar spent on prescription drugs is a dollar that has to be cut back somewhere else by seniors on fixed incomes. What we found by working with our patients is that in all but one case of the ones we studied, is that they would save substantially more money by ordering their medication through our Canadian online pharmacy, even while purchasing the most minimal Medicare Part D drug plan to ensure they could avoid penalties imposed by the government for not opting in.

For example one of our customers named Jane was a regular CanadaDrugs.com customer before the implantation of Medicare Part D in 2006. After the program took effect she ordered her prescriptions through her Medicare Insurance Provider: Secure Horizons. From 2006 to the end of 2008, she spent approximately $1300.00 out of pocket on an annual basis in prescription and Medicare costs. By working with Canada Drugs on a Personal Savings Strategy involving Medicare and smart shopping with us she was able to lower her spending to $760 a year. Thus her total out-of-pocket savings was $540. That five hundred dollars she saved with Canada Drugs could be spent on home repairs or an extra trip to see her grandchildren. We are proud that our savings can make a difference in our customer’s lives!

Her example is below:

How to Order

Medications Medicare Canada Drugs
Generic Diltiazem ER, 300mg/24, CAP 60.00 -
Klor-Con M20 20MEQ, TAB 60.00 -
Generic Metolazone 10mg, TAB 60.00 -
Generic Metoprolol Succinate ER, 50mg TAB 60.00 -
Generic Omeprazole 20mg, CAP 60.00 -
Travatan 0.004%, SOL - 464.76

Another example of how to save money with Canada Drugs is demonstrated by our patient Mr. Stefani, who agreed to share his costs and savings with Canada Drugs.

Mr. Stefani is another customer who ordered regularly through Canada Drugs before January 2009 when he began using the Medicare Prescription Drug Program. Since then, he has been spending nearly $6,600 out of pocket for his prescriptions annually.

Mr. Stefani reaches the “Catastrophic Phase” of the Medicare Prescription Coverage where he enjoys the benefit of only paying 5% of his prescription costs. However, the cost to reach this benefit during the coverage GAP is far more expensive than if they ordered through Canada Drugs for the entire year.

During the coverage GAP where he pays 100% out of pocket locally, Mr. Stefani spends over $5000.00 until he reaches the Catastrophic Phase in September. If his total out of pocket a cost for 2008 was about $6600.00, the majority of that cost occurs during the coverage GAP. The total cost to order though Canada Drugs annually would have been approximately $4000.00 which is $1000 less than the GAP cost and $2500 less all together. That’s $2500 that could have stayed in his pocket.

Mr. Stefani and his wife are now ordering again through Canada Drugs and saving more than they have been through the Medicare Prescription Drug program. Canada Drugs also ensured that Mr. Stefani remains on his Medicare plan in case his situation changes and he needs “emergency coverage” which he now has.

Mr. Stefani’s Total out of pocket Medicare cost for 2008: $6,600.00
Annual out of Pocket costs Through Canada Drugs: $4,000.00
Annual Medicare Premium: 416.00
Canada Drugs Balanced Prescription Strategy Costs: $4,416.00
Annual Savings through Combined Strategy: $2,193.00

This Chart shows Mr. Stefani’s monthly costs before the Balanced Canada Drugs strategy in Blue.

The monthly costs after our strategy are indicated in Purple.

If you want to learn more about how to avoid falling into the doughnut hole trap and saving big money with Canada Drugs, please give us a call at 1-800-CAN-DRUG. Our trained Patient Service Representatives can work with you find the right way to maximize your savings.

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