SENIORS FIND DRUG-PRICE HIKES HARD TO SWALLOW.Byline: Dominic Berbeo Staff Writer Elizabeth Daw has outlived her husband, survived cancer and toughed it out through 52 radiation treatments. Now the 78-year-old is terrified ter·ri·fy tr.v. ter·ri·fied, ter·ri·fy·ing, ter·ri·fies 1. To fill with terror; make deeply afraid. See Synonyms at frighten. 2. To menace or threaten; intimidate. because her insurance company no longer pays for her medicine. ``I need about $150 per month in drugs - and I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. what I'm going to do,'' said the Woodland Hills resident, who lives on a fixed income. ``I wish President Clinton could have done something about it.'' Daw's predicament is reflected in a study released Wednesday that shows prices of prescription drugs prescription drug Prescription medication Pharmacology An FDA-approved drug which must, by federal law or regulation, be dispensed only pursuant to a prescription–eg, finished dose form and active ingredients subject to the provisos of the Federal Food, Drug, seniors use most rose at a rate four times higher than inflation last year. And more than a third of seniors on Medicare aren't covered for outpatient medicine, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the report, ``Hard to Swallow: Rising Drug Prices for America's Seniors'' by the nonprofit health advocacy The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please [ improve this article] or discuss the issue on the talk page. group Families USA Families USA is an American non-profit consumer health-care advocacy organization. It was founded by attorney Ron Pollack, its executive director. Pollack was Dean of Antioch School of Law, and argued cases involving food aid for low-income Americans before the Supreme Court. , based in Washington. ``Now that health reform is not a legislative priority, drug companies are boosting drug prices with no pressure from the government,'' said Families USA Executive Director Ron Pollack pollack: see cod. pollack or pollock Either of two commercially important North Atlantic species of food fish in the cod family (Gadidae). . ``The sky's the limit.'' On average, the report said, prices of the top 50 drugs used by seniors increased by 6.6 percent in 1998, compared with the 1.6 percent general inflation increase. About 30 percent of seniors over 65 have heart conditions and half suffer from arthritis, requiring prescription drugs, the report found. Also, the median net profit for manufacturers of the 50 most prescribed drugs for seniors was 20 percent in 1998, which is 4.5 times greater than the median net profit of 4.4 percent for all Fortune 500 companies, the report found. But the Washington-based Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) is an industry trade group representing the pharmaceutical research and biotechnology companies in the United States. challenged the significance of the report. ``Although expenditures on prescription medications are increasing, this growth is primarily due to increased use, not increased price,'' according to a statement by the organization. Further, the pharmaceutical industry is not pocketing all profit but will spend about $24 billion - or 21 percent of its estimated revenue for 1999 - on research and development to provide more effective drugs. If the drug industry and consumer advocates agree on anything, it is that the elderly have difficulty paying for drugs and the government should help. ``It's ridiculous,'' Pollack said. ``Seniors are being priced out Priced out The market has already incorporated information, such as a low dividend, into the price of a stock. of health care. Some drugs cost two to three times more here than in other countries, even though they're the same drugs made by the same companies.'' Under a plan by Clinton, seniors could choose to pay $24 a month, starting in 2002, for a benefit intended to cover half their prescription-drug costs. Initially, Medicare would pay up to $1,000 a year for medications - half a $2,000 annual bill. Gradually, Medicare payments would increase to a maximum of $2,500 in 2008, when the monthly premium would rise to $44. The program, which is lacking widespread support from Congress, would be subsidized with roughly 15 percent of the projected federal budget surplus over the next 15 years. Daw sees that plan as her only alternative. ``I'll have to pay to get the medicine I need,'' she said, ``even if it means going without other things.'' Hanna Kornet, 80, has Medicare and a private plan that costs her $200 per month, putting a $450 yearly cap on prescription drugs. ``That's nothing,'' she said. ``I need about $300 a month in drugs. I just went to my doctor this morning and he prescribed Propulsid, which will cost about $114 a month alone.'' According to the report, the annual cost of Propulsid, manufactured by Janssen for gastrointestinal illnesses, went from $876 in 1994 to $1,171 in 1999. In the same period, the annual price of K-Dur 20, a potassium replacement, went from $252 to $365 and Imdur, used to clear blood vessels Blood vessels Tubular channels for blood transport, of which there are three principal types: arteries, capillaries, and veins. Only the larger arteries and veins in the body bear distinct names. , went from $237 to $525. ``They take advantage,'' Kornet said. ``If it weren't for the free samples and other medicines my doctor gives me, I wouldn't be able to afford the medicine I need.'' Marie Torrez is the senior vice president for long-term care long-term care (LTC), n the provision of medical, social, and personal care services on a recurring or continuing basis to persons with chronic physical or mental disorders. and government relations at AltaMed Health Services health services Managed care The benefits covered under a health contract , a nonprofit group that provides supplemental health services to low-income seniors in Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, . ``This has been a longstanding problem for many seniors in our country,'' she said. Seniors on a fixed income can only handle so much price increases, and if they can't get the preventative medicine they need, they're only going to get more ill and require more serious and expensive treatment.'' In compiling the report, Families USA used data from the Pennsylvania Pharmaceutical Assistance Contract for the Elderly program, the largest outpatient prescription drug program for seniors in the country. The report compared changes in suggested wholesale prices for drugs listed in a widely used industry database with changes in the Consumer Price Index, the government's inflation yardstick. CAPTION(S): 2 Photos Photo: (1) Jean Colby, right, with his wife, Gilda, expresses concern about the rising cost of prescription drugs. (2) At the Reseda Senior Center, Jay Bachrach voices his frustration. Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer |
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