NeedyMeds
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National Volunteer Week

National Volunteer Week was established in 1974, and we at NeedyMeds want to recognize our amazing volunteers that help make our work possible.   Our local volunteers are invaluable! They help us print and mail lists of medications for callers seeking help with several prescriptions (our call center helps with this information over the phone, but due to the volume of calls we receive we may mail you information for long lists of medications), update information in our databases, and help mail out the NeedyMeds Drug Discount Cards. Some of our earliest volunteers had been offered paid positions in the […]

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Awareness
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Autism Awareness Month

April is Autism Awareness Month. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a common but complex developmental disability, with 1 in 68 American children born somewhere on the autism spectrum. The signs of autism are usually apparent when a child is between 2 and 3 years old, although they may be seen in younger children. Symptoms are different for everyone, though some of the behaviors associated with autism include delayed learning of language; difficulty making eye contact or holding a conversation; difficulty with executive functioning (relating to reasoning and planning); narrow, intense interests; poor motor skills, and sensory sensitivities. A diagnosis of […]

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Drug Discount Card, Healthcare Reform, Prescription Drugs
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Laws Proposed to Protect Patients from Artificially High Prescription Costs

In a previous blog post, we explored “clawback” and how it affects the prices of prescriptions. In short, Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) negotiate copay prices for insurers that are often higher than the cash price paid by uninsured patients all while instituting a “gag rule” for pharmacists to forbid them from revealing the price discrepancy to patients unless asked directly. A number of states have already passed laws banning clawback and gag rules, though a group of bipartisan U.S. senators have introduced a bill the ban gag clauses for PBM-negotiated contracts nationwide. A recent study by Journal of the American […]

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Affordable Care Act, Awareness, Health, Healthcare Reform, Mental Health, Safety
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LGBT Health Awareness Week 2018

The last week of March has been LGBT Health Awareness Week since 2003. We have gone over some of the barriers to health care for some of the transgender community in previous blog posts, but it remains important to bring awareness to the unique healthcare needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and the health disparities that continue to beleaguer the lives of so many Americans. Experts report that LGBT people often avoid seeking out medical care or refrain from “coming out” to their healthcare provider. This compromises an entire community of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals who […]

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NeedyMeds
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How to Find Reliable Health Information Online Without a Medical Degree

Over 70% of internet users go online to learn about their health. Research that a few decades ago only doctors could access can now be downloaded over Starbucks’ WiFi. And because the average doctor’s appointment lasts just 13–16 minutes, many see the internet as a free, convenient alternative to medical advice. But convenience doesn’t come without costs. Instant access to health information coincides with an increase in “cyberchondria,” or anxiety about poor health stemming from internet research. Worse, study after study shows online health content is frequently unreliable, inaccurate, or hard to read. That’s why I want to use this […]

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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.