Month: July 2013

Drug Discount Cards – Lifting the Veil of Secrecy

by Richard J. Sagall, MD, President of NeedyMeds   Everywhere you look you see claims of savings from drug discount cards. You may be skeptical when cards promise huge savings. And you should be because not all the claims are real.   Too Good to Be True The old saying “If it seems too good to be true then it probably is” applies to drug discount cards. Drug discount cards have the potential of saving you a lot of money, but you have to understand how they work. It’s important to remember that they all work basically the same way. […]

Price Shopping Pharmacies To Save On Meds

Sumanah was a 26 year old event planner in New York City when suddenly diagnosed with congestive heart failure.  Sumanah was like many typical 26 year olds, without health insurance and no savings capable of paying for her medical bills. Taking 10 medications for her condition, Sumanah was paying full price at what she “thought” was the cheapest pharmacy. After she discovered that not only were some pharmacies cheaper for the same exact medication, she learned that some pharmacies can be upwards of 16 times more expensive than another pharmacy right across the street. Using this information, Sumanah was able […]

Applying to a Patient Assistance Program (PAP)

Today many Americans find themselves struggling to pay for their medications, unfortunately leading to difficult choices between paying for food, rent, or prescriptions. Luckily pharmaceutical companies and other organizations are aware of this fact, and doing what they can to help alleviate costs for those struggling financially. For many drugs that may seem too expensive to afford there are Patient Assistance Programs (PAPs). These programs offer the drugs at little to no cost to the consumer.   Finding a Program for your Medication: To apply for a PAP, first make sure one is available for your medication. You can look […]

What to ask your Pediatrician

I understand it’s tough to ask the question “Why?” to your child’s doctor when the she makes a treatment or testing decision. But if you are going to be an active and informed partner in your child’s health care you need to know when to pose that question. I am not suggesting you question every decision the doctor makes, but sometimes it’s appropriate. Here are a few hints as to when you may want to question the doctor. What will happen if I don’t give my child the medicine? 
 This is usually a good question to ask if the […]

Helpful Online Resources II

This week we are taking another look at online resources that the staff at NeedyMeds think our readers will find helpful. These are some great organizations doing great work, and we think they deserve to be highlighted. If you missed the first installment you can read it here.   Men’s Health Network – The Men’s Health Network is a non-profit organization with the goal of educating men on their health risks – and what they can do to live a longer healthier life. Their website has lots of information. Their blog, “Talking about men’s health,” is updated almost daily with […]

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.