Having health insurance is vital to one’s health and financial well-being in the United States. Out-of-pocket medical expenses are the leading cause of personal bankruptcy. Even with new laws such as the Affordable Care Act (ACA)—aka “Obamacare”—11.7% of Americans remain uninsured. Analysts have only recently been able to examine the data of uninsured rates prior to ACA’s implementation to now. WalletHub released the stats for all 50 states and Washington DC and ranked each by their current uninsured rate; Massachusetts is ranked highest with only 3.28% uninsured, and Texas is ranked last with 19.06%. In numbers, even the last-ranked […]
Category: Health
Why Drug Prices Skyrocket
Drug prices continue to be a major concern for Americans. According to a Kaiser Family Foundation Health Tracking Poll published today, 77% of those surveyed said medication costs were their number one health concern, reflecting recent headline-making increases. Furthermore, 63% support government action to lower prescription drug costs as a top priority. Compared to a study by the same organization from August, the results are largely the same with notably increased support of government intervention. The United States is the only developed nation that allows drug makers to set their own prices. Throughout Europe, Canada, and Australia, governments negotiate […]
Health Literacy and Continuing Your Health Education
Since 1999, October is Health Literacy Month. This week is also National Health Education Week. Health literacy is defined as the degree to which an individual has the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions. Being able to disseminate health information allows people to navigate the healthcare system, keep track of their medical history, competently engage in self-care, and understand probability of health risks. Health literacy is the main form of defense against misinformation prevalent in our society. Knowledge of the facts is key to combat the influence of […]
How to Avoid Cold and Flu this Season
It’s that time of year again. Children are going back to school, the seasons are beginning to change and there is a cold wind starting to blow. These are sure signs of the impending cold and flu season. We at NeedyMeds wanted to give our readers some helpful tips to keep themselves and their children healthy, along with resources available for those in need. The Center of Disease Control (CDC) recommends everyone over the age of 6 months to get a flu vaccine every season. Children younger than 2 years old, or children with health problems such as asthma, diabetes, […]
The Importance of Medication Adherence, and How to Ensure Compliance
We have had various blog posts about the importance of medication adherence. The subject remains important as researchers find 20-30% of prescriptions are never filled and half of all people do not follow their drug instructions. With a wide variety of factors contributing to patients not following through a treatment as directed, it can have a serious impact on one’s health and finances. People have many reasons for medication non-adherence. Confusion can be a factor, whether in relation to multiple prescriptions or unclear doctor’s orders. Other patients don’t take medicine to avoid side effects. Cost is an obvious factor […]