Month: March 2013

The Lowdown on Specialty Drugs

Last Updated on May 8, 2025 Healthcare costs continue to be a concern, despite efforts underway to reduce them through healthcare reform initiatives.  One area, in particular, is worrying patients and physicians alike: specialty drugs or biologics. An article in Workforce Management reports that specialty drugs “make up about 17% of employers’ total drug costs, even though just 1% of the workforce takes them.”  Reuters reports that “approximately 57 million Americans rely on specialty drugs,” with the average prescription costing $1,766.00 in 2011. “Specialty drugs are high-cost drugs used to treat complex or rare conditions, such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid […]

Health Insurance at 26 : What Are My Options?

Last Updated on March 20, 2013 The passing of the Affordable Care Act has implemented a number of changes to American healthcare. Many of these changes directly affect families, the elderly, and people with pre-existing conditions, leaving many of 20-somethings wondering “What does this mean for me?” One major impact of the new law is that young adults can stay on their parents’ healthcare plan until age 26. Before the passing of the Affordable Care Act children could only stay on their parents’ insurance up to age 19, with exceptions for full-time students. Since the law has been enacted, over […]

Why do kids have unfilled prescriptions?

Last Updated on May 7, 2025 You take your sick child to the doctor. An exam is done, a diagnosis made, a prescription written, and instructions given to the parent. The next step: a trip to the pharmacy to have the prescription filled so the child can start the medicine as soon as possible. Right? Why, then, did a recent study reveal that up to 25% of children’s prescriptions remain unfilled? Investigators are currently examining whether electronic prescriptions are filled more often (because the patient does not have the opportunity to lose or misplace it), or if, in fact a […]

About Us

Welcome to the NeedyMeds Voice! We look forward to presenting you with timely, provocative pieces on healthcare reform, patient advocacy, medication and healthcare access, and other health-related news. Our goals are to educate, enlighten, and elucidate; together, we will try to make sense of the myriad and ongoing healthcare-related changes in the U.S. today.