Aug.
30, 2004
With the heavy cost of prescription
drugs weighing on patients, states that wind up with part of
the tab are taking action to help consumers lower their bills.
Illinois announced last week that it plans to set up a website
and toll-free phone number to help residents buy cheaper prescriptions
from Canada, Ireland and Britain. That program, which Illinois
estimates will cut prices 25% to 50%, follows in the footsteps
of ones already in place in Minnesota, Wisconsin, New Hampshire
and North Dakota. Meanwhile, New York launched a website last
week that enables its residents to compare the prices of the
most commonly prescribed drugs at different pharmacies in their
area. The site, at www.nyagrx.com, is similar to one started
by Maryland earlier this year at www.oag.state.md.us/drugprices.
Residents of any state can comparison shop at www.pillbot.com
or www.pharmacychecker.com, and seniors with the new discount
drug cards (available since June) can use www.medicare.gov.
Buying
Generic Medications..did you know that millions
of Americans
now take the generic
equivalent of their brand
name medication! AARP encourages
its millions of members
to substitute generic
drugs for brand whenever
possible. You may be
surprised to see how much
you can save by just saying
"No" to brand name drugs!
There is absolutely NO DIFFERENCE
between a brand
name drug and its generic
counterpart! Remember,
the FDA supports the
use of generic drugs! Ask your
physician to prescribe generic
drugs whenever
possible!
