Author: Richard Sagall

NeedyMeds
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A Letter from NeedyMeds President, Rich Sagall, MD

  We need your help!   Ever since I started NeedyMeds 25 years ago, all the information on the website has been free. In the beginning, there were two very part-time employees — now we have a staff of thirty. When we started, we had information about only the patient assistance programs — now we have data on 40,000 programs covering nearly 15 different types of assistance. When we started, we were doing well to get 100 visitors daily to the website — now we get 10,000 to 15,000 each weekday.   In the past, we have been able to […]

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COVID-19, Vaccinations
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I’m Running Out of Sympathy

Every day I read stories on the Internet and in the newspaper of the deaths of previously healthy people who died of COVID-19. They were good people, caring parents, working people who seemed like responsible citizens. What they all shared was not being immunized against COVID-19.    Maybe they were just “vaccine hesitant” — one of those who wasn’t convinced of the value and safety of the vaccines. Maybe they didn’t understand the true implications, or perhaps it’s more accurate to say the lack of implications, of an “emergency use authorization” by the FDA rather than a full approval.    […]

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NeedyMeds
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How You Can Help NeedyMeds

Every day, people ask how they can help NeedyMeds. Usually they have used the website or called the helpline to find assistance with their medical costs, or maybe they used our information to lower their parent’s drug costs. Here are four things you can do to help us help you and earn our everlasting gratitude.   Spread the Word Even though 10,000 to 15,000 people visit our website every workday, more need to know about NeedyMeds. Even though our toll-free helpline helps 4,000-6,000 callers every month, we want to help more! The best recommendation we can get — the thing […]

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NeedyMeds, Prescription Drugs
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Seven Secrets to Medication Savings

Anyone looking to save on medication costs, and that is probably you if you are reading this article, has seen the same methods listed in article after article. They include shopping around for the best price, switching to generics, splitting pills, applying to assistance programs, using a drug discount card or copay cards, etc.  I’ll explain some different ways to save you may not have seen before. They may be a little more complex than the methods listed above – and may require some conversations with your prescriber or pharmacist. In addition to the cost savings these methods will provide, […]

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Prescription Drugs
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Affording Your Meds with Patient Assistant Programs

by Richard Sagall, MD   It’s a choice no one should have to make – pay rent and buy food or get prescriptions filled. Yet all too often it’s a choice Americans, particularly working-age Americans, have to make. Nearly 28 million Americans have no health insurance, and millions more have limited coverage. Many Americans just can’t afford healthcare, and, if they can, they don’t have the money to buy their medicines. Prescription Assistance Programs There is help available for many people who can’t afford their medicines. These programs, frequently called prescription assistance programs (PAPs) or patient assistance programs, are designed to […]

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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.