educomp kerala

There have been many new biological drugs approved by the FDA to treat psoriasis since 2003 as one example of an inflated drug price that most lower income people can’t get access to because Medicaid and Medicare won’t pay for them due to the skyrocketing prices. The new blood thinner “Eliquis” is paid for by Medicaid and Medicare at $200 a bottle. The COPD inhalers which are fairly new are also paid for by the government without hesitation in the area of $150 a pop. Some states pay for the very expensive $400 and above hearing aids and some don’t. So why aren’t the new biological drugs that came out to treat psoriasis since 2003 paid for by the government?

I guess this is one moment where I’m going to answer the question I just asked of this articles readers. In the above linked article I posted to go with this article the author states these biological drugs to treat psoriasis will NOT be available to people who are on Medicaid and Medicare because of price. All the drug companies who have created their own biological psoriasis treatments have pushed people on Medicaid and Medicare away from receiving treatment with these drugs through the high cost of the drugs. Medicare Part D prescription drug plan will pay the bulk cost of “biological’s” but the co pay is between $1200 and $5000 which still keeps people from getting the biological’s.

The spin is a few of these biological drug companies have programs to supply the drugs free to low income patients who have private insurance only. Drug companies have stated in many articles I’ve read that if the patients have Medicare or Medicaid they will NOT be eligible for the free programs.

Quote From GoodRX.com: The lowest GoodRx price for the most common version of Humira is around $5,130.76, 38% off the average retail price of $8,309.04.

These biological psoriasis treatments are not life saving so Medicare and Medicaid do not recognize the inflated cost by drug companies as a necessary expense. The drug companies know this and want it this way. Back in 2003 when these biological psoriasis treatments were entering the drug marketplace they were affordable and insurance companies picked up the costs if a reasonable deductible was paid. After 2012 the insurance companies started to remove people with psoriasis because the payouts on the biological treatments were going up and getting extremely expensive.

The “Epipen Injector” used to treat heroin overdoses was attacked viciously by the U.S. government when the owner of the company jacked up the price so high only the really wealthy could afford them. Medicaid and Medicare in some states do cover generic Epipen’s but reject brand names. I’ve come to my conclusion about why this and other high drug prices are happening that keep some of these drugs out of the reach of many people who are on Medicare and Medicaid.

Come ON! of course it’s collusion between the “Big Pharma” drug industry and members of congress. But when the collusion deals go bad it’s the drug industry that is forced to take the fall.

When these scams to gain personal wealth come to light as in the opioid epidemic that is ongoing now where billions of dollars are being paid out by the drug companies to the states our congressional representatives who profited off of opioids though insider trading investments walk around with no chance of repercussion for their involvement in the scheme.

If you look at Canada which is a country where government has to pay for ALL healthcare costs you will see the lowest prices on quality drugs anywhere because the government forces prices down to lower government expenditures. All the drug companies that put together high profit drug plans to fill their pockets are destroyed without question by the Canadian government. In the U.S. our congressional representatives steer thought away from destroying excessive profit taking by the drug companies because they are invested in these drug companies for their own personal profit. Congressional Representatives enter congress with meager wealth and leave with excessive riches.

I just bet ya if a person gained access to the investments of our congressional leaders they would find many instances of drug company investments who have extremely high drug prices on popular needed drugs that really work to improve a persons health. Congress voted to give drug companies a 20 year patent before generics could be produced with a 5 year extension if certain conditions are met knowing that high drug prices would develop giving congressional insiders great profit making investment opportunities.

The Comprehensive Drug and Alcohol Abuse Screening Test (CDAAST)

Client Name: ___________________________________________________ Date: ________________

Directions: The following questions concern information about your involvement with drugs and/or alcohol. Carefully read each statement. Then decide whether your answer is YES or NO and check the appropriate space. Please be sure to answer every question.

1. Alcohol or drug use caused me to use poor judgment and drive right afterwards because I felt “fine” to drive, wasn’t far to go, and I had no other way home: ___ Yes ___ No

2. I thought I was okay to drive after drinking and/or using drugs but I wasn’t: ___ Yes ___ No

3. I got a 2nd, 3rd, or 4th DUI after swearing it would never happen again: ___ Yes ___ No

4. I could kill somebody if I’m driving impaired: ___ Yes ___ No

5. I completed one or more alcohol or drug abuse treatment programs, yet I couldn’t drink just 1 or 2 drinks every time so ended up getting in trouble after drinking and/or using drugs: ___ Yes ___ No

6. I believe that since I was able to quit drinking or using for awhile (after drinking and/or using caused me problems) and I don’t crave it, miss it, or even think about it, I now don’t have a drinking or drug problem: ___ Yes ___ No

7. I think about drinking or using drugs daily: ___ Yes ___ No

8. I drink use drugs to keep the buzz (good feeling): ___ Yes ___ No

9. I like to drink or use too much: ___ Yes ___ No

10. When I pick up the first drink and/or drug I think about the next one: ___ Yes ___ No

11. When I pick up the first drink I really enjoy the taste: ___ Yes ___ No

12. I like the feeling alcohol and/or drugs gives me when I’m under its power: ___ Yes ___ No

13. I know I shouldn’t drink and use drugs but I do it anyhow: ___ Yes ___ No

14. I can’t predict what will happen after I drink and/or use the first drug: ___ Yes ___ No

15. It’s tough to do the right thing while drinking using drugs: ___ Yes ___ No

16. My decision making process becomes irrational and my behavior and personality changes when I drink and/or use drugs. I argue a lot when I drink and/or use drugs: ___ Yes ___ No

17. I’m not honest when I drink use drugs: ___ Yes ___ No

18. Occasionally I drink or use too much and get into trouble. I have said and done things that I normally wouldn’t have done when sober: ___ Yes ___ No

19. I got nasty or goofy when I drank and/or used drugs: ___ Yes ___ No

20. I do not have the self control to know when enough is enough: ___ Yes ___ No

21. When I drink or use drugs I can’t control myself the way I do when sober: ___ Yes ___ No

22. When I start drinking using drugs I don’t want to stop: ___ Yes ___ No

23. I sometimes have trouble stopping after 1 or 2 drinks: ___ Yes ___ No

24. I can never have just one drink: ___ Yes ___ No

25. I continue to drink and use once I get started: ___ Yes ___ No