All About Medicare Savings Programs

In 1965 President Johnson and the United States Congress created Medicare as part of the Social Security Act. A national program, Medicare is a health insurance program for people 65 years of age or older along with some people under age 65 with disabilities or end stage renal disease. It is broken down into four different parts. • Part A is hospital insurance – covering expenses for hospital care, nursing facility care, and home health services. • Part B is medical insurance for outpatient hospital care and doctor’s services. Unlike Part A, Medicare Part B is optional. • Part C, […]

Checking in on the ACA

It’s February 5, 2014, and the Affordable Care Act is still here. There have been lots of changes over the last few weeks, in a few different areas: Marketplaces pushed back the deadline to enroll in a Marketplace plan for coverage to December 23, in order for coverage to begin on January 1.  And some states went even further! Marketplaces have pushed back payment deadlines (allowing people more time to pay their January premiums).  For example, California’s Marketplace pushed back the payment deadline to January 15.  Some health plans are also deciding on their own to give people more time […]

Introducing HEALfundr

Crowdfunding Your Power To Heal “Crowdfunding” is a buzzword that hasn’t quite made it to everyone’s ears yet. It refers to the practice of collecting donations from a group or “crowd” to raise money through small donations towards a single goal. The platform has existed for longer than most would think—19th century literary works were published in a similar way, local or noteworthy patrons giving commissions to an author for a future copy of their work. The Internet has revolutionized the reach of crowdfunding. Kickstarter is the name most commonly associated with crowdfunding, helping fund creative projects with backers usually […]

All About the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program

Healthcare related costs are a major problem for many Americans who are uninsured and underinsured, even if they are relatively healthy. For people with a serious medical condition these financial problems can be even worse. One diagnosis that finds many patients in an expensive position is HIV/AIDS. A diagnosis of HIV or AIDS comes with a hefty price tag, according to study on NBC news, “An American diagnosed with the AIDS virus can expect to live for about 24 years on average, and the cost of health care over those two-plus decades is more than $600,000, new research indicates… The […]

All About Free and Low Cost Clinics

One of the most popular sections of the NeedyMeds website is our listing of Free, Low-Cost, and Sliding-Scale clinics. As health care has become more and more expensive, the need for low-cost health care has increased. Many people living in more rural parts of the country have a very limited number of options to see a doctor, and depending on their insurance status the number of available “in-network” doctors is even lower. Many people do not regularly see their doctor, only seeking help when a more serious condition arises. It can be a scary situation to be uninsured and have […]

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.