A friend posted this on FaceBook a few weeks ago, and mettle fatigue and Darwinian Detritus and I thought it might be a good topic for KosAbility to discuss, so here's the link:
http://blog.needymeds.org/...
Please take a look at that, and then join us below the fold to throw in your two cents worth.
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Though I don't have any personal experience with this program, it does sound like a creative way to meet the prescription needs of individuals who require regular medications and have few $$$ (and I'd like to say here- I'd rather vote for solid social policies than depend on the ebb and flow of charities and charitable efforts). I never needed regular meds other than bcp, and that was covered by very good insurance until I was broke, kind of falling to pieces, and no insurance in sight.
At that point, it became very important to find medication that was affordable, in addition to needing that medication to work.
Over time, I've experienced medicine provided by the pharmaceutical company, some furnished with a low income mental health outpatient program, and Evil Corporate Big Box Store generics. There've been meds prescribed for off-label uses, the latest bells&whistles med for one of my issues (that was the pharm company charitable effort- they were probably very glad that it had adverse effects sufficient to stop taking that one), and currently, 2 very old and predictable generics that seem to be working, at $4/month.
Other anecdotal knowledge includes acquaintances who order from Canada, and a relative who discovered that it was cheaper per pill to buy 500 at a time rather than the 30 that was a month's supply of the same dosage. Someone else I know found it more affordable to get a prescription at twice the strength and cut the pills in half, and had a healthcare provider willing to authorize that. One of the things I deal with is that my 2 generics, if they were filled at the local pharmacy, would be about $20/each/month, so figuring in a trip to nearest Evil Corporate Big Box Store at a point where we'd have to go anyway is a bit of a logistics/bank account/pharmacy arrangement issue as well.
So instead of the linked article as the only focus, it might be a good jumping off point to a discussion about your experiences with prescribed meds and affordable prices for them. Are there programs that have helped you, and how did you find them? Have you discovered resources that might be explored by others? Time, distance, dollars, any other intersection of factors? How have you accessed resources that have provided prescription assistance? I know that the ACA and associated changes are bound to have some effect on this over the long term, what exactly, I don't know.
In any case, the floor is yours- what information can we share that will help someone, somewhere?
note: the linked article has a link to make donations to the program, and neither I nor KosAbility endorse it in any way- the article is intended for informational purposes only. As with any charitable program, you should fully research the organization and program yourself before contributing to it.