The Prescription Drug Savings Guide

This is an essential resource that enables the uninsured to save thousands ofdollars on medications.

Medicare prescription drug coverage (Part D) adds to your Medicare health care coverage. It helps you pay for both brand-name and generic drugs. Medicare drug plans are offered by insurance companies and other private companies approved by Medicare. You can get coverage two ways: Medicare Prescription Drug Plans (sometimes called "PDPs") add prescription drug coverage to Original Medicare, some Medicare Private Fee-for-Service (PFFS) Plans, some Medicare Cost Plans, and Medicare Medical Savings Account (MSA) Plans; Medicare Advantage Plans (like an HMO or PPO) or other Medicare health plans that offer prescription drug coverage. You generally get all of your Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance), Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance), and Medicare Part D (prescription drug coverage) through these plans. Medicare Advantage Plans with prescription drug coverage are sometimes called "MA-PDs." In this publication, the term "Medicare drug plans" means all plans that provide Medicare prescription drug coverage. You must choose and join a Medicare drug plan to get Medicare prescription drug coverage. Everyone with Medicare has to make a decision about prescription drug coverage. If you don't use a lot of prescription drugs now, you still may think about joining a Medicare drug plan to help lower your prescription drug costs now and help protect against higher costs in the future. If you're new to Medicare and already have other prescription drug coverage, you have new options to think about. If you aren't new to Medicare, you may want to look over your options to find drug coverage that meets your needs. You can join or switch Medicare drug plans between October 15-December 7 each year, with your coverage beginning January 1 of the following year. To join a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan, you must have Medicare Part A or have Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance). To join a Medicare Advantage Plan or other Medicare health plan with prescription drug coverage, you must have Medicare Part A and Part B. You must also live in the service area of the Medicare health plan or drug plan you want to join. Medicare drug plans may be different from each other in the prescription drugs they cover, how much you have to pay, and which pharmacies you can use. All Medicare drug plans must give at least a standard level of coverage set by Medicare. However, plans offer different combinations of coverage and cost sharing. Having more than one plan to choose from helps you get the coverage you want at a price you can afford. Also available in Spanish.

Confused about Medicare’s drug coverage? You’re not alone. Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage For Dummies explains Part D in plain English and shows you how to find the best deal among numerous drug-coverage plan options. Whether you’re new to Medicare or already in the program, you’ll navigate the system with more ease and confidence, avoid pitfalls and scams, and have plenty of help choosing the plan that’s right for you. This easy-to-understand, consumer-friendly guide helps you find out whether Part D affects any drug coverage you already have and weigh the consequences of going without coverage. You’ll find ways to compare plans, identify the one that covers your drugs at the least cost, and make sure you sign up at the right time. And you’ll learn how to minimize your expenses, use the “right” pharmacies, and troubleshoot any problems with your coverage. Discover how to: Decide whether you need Part D Understand how Part D works, from costs to coverage Choose and enroll in the best plan for you Get up and running with Part D Handle the coverage gap Lower your drug costs Join and switch plans Comply with long-term-care rules and rights Challenge plan decisions Avoid scams and hard-sell marketing Now, more than ever, you need clear, reliable information that helps you understand Part D and make smart, cost-saving healthcare decisions. You need Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage For Dummies.

A Critical Resource with Information You Won't Find Anywhere Else. Dentists of all specialties prescribe drugs for their patients, from pain medications to sedatives to antibiotics, and know all too well that making an evidenced-based decision on which drug to prescribe is more than just looking up a drug on the computer or PDA and requires more comprehensive consideration than the current drug reference books offer. For example, should an antibiotic be prescribed for implant placement or for sinus augmentation procedures? If so, what antibiotic is recommended (backed up with references), when should it be started, and for how long? Which is the antibiotic of choice for an odontogenic infection and how do you know if that antibiotic is working? Improve Your Decision Making with this Essential Guide. The Dentist’s Drug and Prescription Guide is the only book to offer comprehensive coverage of this topic and has quickly become the go-to reference for dental students, general dentists, periodontists, oral surgeons, dental hygienists. Written for dental professionals seeking quick advice on prescribing medications for their patients, the book offers: An easy-to-read question-and-answer format, the text describes evidenced-based pharmacologic therapy with current and up-to-date references regarding adjunctive pharmacologic treatment of the dental patient Easy-to-follow drug tables that summarize the main pharmacologic features of the different disciplines, including periodontics, implantology, oral surgery, and endodontics, with recommendations for pharmacologic treatment with periodontal and implant surgery as well as treatment of periodontal diseases, dental pain, and infection Detailed strategies to manage and prevent drug interactions in the dental practice Instructions and guidelines for the patient on how to take the drugs (e.g., to avoid GI upset when taking antibiotics acidophilus or yogurt can be taken). Plus, sample prescriptions, coverage of proper documentation in the patient's chart, and more! Order your copy today!

The seventh edition of the Canadian Immunization Guide was developed by the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI), with the support ofthe Immunization and Respiratory Infections Division, Public Health Agency of Canada, to provide updated information and recommendations on the use of vaccines in Canada. The Public Health Agency of Canada conducted a survey in 2004, which confi rmed that the Canadian Immunization Guide is a very useful and reliable resource of information on immunization.

Thanks to remarkable advances in modern health care attributable to science, engineering, and medicine, it is now possible to cure or manage illnesses that were long deemed untreatable. At the same time, however, the United States is facing the vexing challenge of a seemingly uncontrolled rise in the cost of health care. Total medical expenditures are rapidly approaching 20 percent of the gross domestic product and are crowding out other priorities of national importance. The use of increasingly expensive prescription drugs is a significant part of this problem, making the cost of biopharmaceuticals a serious national concern with broad political implications. Especially with the highly visible and very large price increases for prescription drugs that have occurred in recent years, finding a way to make prescription medicinesâ€"and health care at largeâ€"more affordable for everyone has become a socioeconomic imperative. Affordability is a complex function of factors, including not just the prices of the drugs themselves, but also the details of an individual's insurance coverage and the number of medical conditions that an individual or family confronts. Therefore, any solution to the affordability issue will require considering all of these factors together. The current high and increasing costs of prescription drugsâ€"coupled with the broader trends in overall health care costsâ€"is unsustainable to society as a whole. Making Medicines Affordable examines patient access to affordable and effective therapies, with emphasis on drug pricing, inflation in the cost of drugs, and insurance design. This report explores structural and policy factors influencing drug pricing, drug access programs, the emerging role of comparative effectiveness assessments in payment policies, changing finances of medical practice with regard to drug costs and reimbursement, and measures to prevent drug shortages and foster continued innovation in drug development. It makes recommendations for policy actions that could address drug price trends, improve patient access to affordable and effective treatments, and encourage innovations that address significant needs in health care.