More
Tips for Saving on Prescription Medications
Written
By: Geriatric Planning Specialist Lisa Barner
According
to a study released by Families USA, drug prices paid by seniors using the
new Medicare prescription drug discount cards are no better than they
could get without a Medicare card. So,
how can seniors find savings on the soaring costs of prescription drugs?
Here are a few tips:
Free Drug Programs - Most major drug
companies provide free medications in some circumstances.
An estimated two billion dollars of free medication is given away
each year. However, people do
not know that these programs exist. There
are more than 100 companies that offer a free drug program.
For more information, including a complete list of the programs and
drugs, go to www.institutedc.org.
Request a 7 Day Supply - If your
physician prescribes a new medication, ask for a sample first.
If the doctor does not have samples, ask for a prescription for
only one week. It is a
federal law that once a medication is dispensed, it can not be returned.
So, if you get a 30 day supply, and can not tolerate the
medication, you cannot return it.
Buy a 90 Day Supply - Most pharmacies
offer a savings on a 90 day supply versus buying a 30 day supply.
In addition to this, if there is a co-payment with your insurance
coverage, you may save money by purchasing a 90 day supply.
Review Your Medications - Review your
medications with your doctor at each visit.
There may be medications that you no longer need.
In addition to this, it is a good idea to review your list with
your pharmacist as well.
Ask Your Doctor for Free Samples at Every
Visit!
Cross the Border - You can purchase
some of your medications across the border in either
Canada
or
Mexico
for up to 75% of the price in the
U.S.
(Warning: the legality of importing drugs from other countries is open to
some question, and quality concerns exist.
See previous articles on this subject in the Elder
Care Law Alert.)
Order On-Line or By Mail - Use an
online or mail order pharmacy. They offer competitive pricing on hundreds
of the most popularly prescribed medicines as well as over the counter
medications.
Pharmacy Discount Cards - Most
pharmaceutical companies and chains offer discounts to their customers.
These programs often have income limits (but sometimes do not) and
co-payment requirements. You
can find more information about these programs at www.rxhope.com
and www.needymeds.com.
Or visit our website at www.paelderlaw.com
for information on some of these programs.
Lisa
Barner can be reached at lbarner@paelderlaw.com
or at 1-800-401-4552.
VA
Right to an Attorney Act of 2003
Written
By: Attorney
Kathy A. Kron
Should
veterans have the right to an attorney to help them apply for benefits
from the VA? From the Civil
War era until not so many years ago, veterans were only allowed to pay an
attorney a maximum of $10.00 to help them navigate through the VA system
to receive their well-deserved benefits.
In 1988, this restriction was changed to allow attorney fees to be
paid for representation from a final decision by the Board of Veterans
Appeals.
To
give you an overview of the process, a veteran submits a claim to the
closest regional office. The
appropriate steps are taken, and there is a decision made as to the
request for benefits. Depending
upon the benefits, this could take from 4-8 months.
If the veteran does not like the result, he or she can appeal this
decision by submitting a Notice of Disagreement to the regional office.
The regional office may be able to address the issues and resolve
the appeal at that level. If
not, and the veteran wishes to continue, the claim is sent to the Board of
Veterans Appeals where they will look at the same evidence and decide
whether an error has been made at the regional office.
The Board will render their decision, which could be years from the
date the initial claim was filed. At
this point, if the veteran still does not agree with the decision, then he
or she can hire an attorney to assist in the appeal.
Under
the current system, when veterans are finally allowed to hire counsel to
assist them, the claim has been in the system for many years.
Often, these issues could have been resolved at the regional level
in a relatively short amount of time but the veterans do not have the
assistance they need to do so. There
are veterans service organizations to assist in this process who do not
charge fees, but these individuals are overloaded with veterans who need
assistance.
For
many veterans this means that they do not get the benefits to which they
are entitled. They are going up against the "VA"-- a government entity
with an army of lawyers. To
many, it feels like David and Goliath.
The system was originally established so the VA could hire
individuals to help veterans with their claims and not have to pay an
attorney for "free" benefits. While this is a wonderful philosophy in
theory, in reality veterans may end up getting the full 100% of an award,
nothing, or a much reduced award. Most
veterans don't even know what they are entitled to and are apprehensive
about asking for more benefits. Others
are afraid that the benefits they did manage to get may even be reduced.
Over
the years many advocates have tried to convince the VA to come to its
senses and acknowledge that veterans should have a choice as to whether or
not they want to have an attorney help them navigate the system.
There is currently legislation in the Subcommittee on Benefits that
would allow veterans to pay fees for attorney services during any stage of
the claims process. If this
legislation is enacted, veterans may finally be able to feel like they are
not alone in trying to get the benefits to which they are entitled.
For
more information on the bill, go to:
http://www.military.com/MilitaryReport/0,12914,VR_Action_071204,00.html?ESRC=vr.nl
Series
HH Bond Exchange Option Ends August 31st
Written
By: Attorney
Jeffrey A. Marshall
, CELA*
Series
HH Savings Bonds will no longer be offered after
August 31, 2004
. This means you need to act immediately if you are interested in
exchanging your E or EE Bonds for HH Bonds.
After August 31st you will no longer be able to continue
to defer income taxes on matured Series E or EE Bonds by swapping them for
Series HH. Bonds can be
exchanged through many banks and credit unions.
You may want to consider whether an exchange of EE
Bonds is right for you given your individual situation.
EE bonds that have many years until maturity probably should not be
exchanged since they may earn more interest than the paltry 1.5% paid by
Series HH bonds. However,
there are many other factors to consider.
For more information on Series EE and HH Bonds go to the Bureau of
Public Debt's website at http://www.publicdebt.treas.gov/
The Government will continue to honor existing HH
Bonds until their maturity.
Attorney
Marshall can be reached at webmail@paelderlaw.com
or at 1-800-401-4552
Does
Your Club Or Organization Need A Speaker?
If
you are interested in having an attorney or geriatric planning specialist
from
The
Elder Law Firm of Marshall & Associates speak to your group, or at an
upcoming event, please contact
our
Public
Ed
ucation
Coordinator, Melissa Bottorf
at
mbottorf@paelderlaw.com
or 1-800-401-4552
"Paying
for Long Term Care" Presentation in Lewisburg
G
etting good information about options for long term care is critically
important for seniors. Four out of every ten people reaching age 65 will
spend some time in a nursing home and many more will require home care and
assistance with daily living.
The
Elder Law Firm of Marshall & Associates is known throughout
Pennsylvania
for the expert help we provide seniors who are faced with long term care
needs. We help families struggling to care for their loved one at home
find the programs and financial help they need.
If
nursing home placement becomes necessary, we work with the facility to
help make the transition go as smoothly as possible. We make certain that
the nursing facility gets paid in a timely manner while helping the family
qualify for government programs that help pay the costs.
Marshall
& Associates occasionally holds free educational forums to help
educate families about the options that are available to pay for long term
care in the home or a nursing home. Join
us for one of these free presentations and learn what you need to know
about how to get the help you need and protect your family's financial
security when your spouse or parent is faced with a long term illness.
Each
presentation is FREE and open to seniors, their families, elder care
professionals, and anyone else who needs to learn more about this complex
subject. Each presentation
lasts about 1 ½ hours, including a "Question & Answer" Session.
-
Thursday,
September 16th, 2004
at
6:30
PM
Evangelical
Community
Health
Center
Rte
15,
Staples
Plaza
Lewisburg
Reservations
are suggested, but not required. SIGN
UP ONLINE
or call 1-800-401-4552 for more information or to reserve your spot for
one of these free seminars!
Back
issues of The
Elder Care Law Alerts
are available on our website.
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can even search our site by a keyword
or phrase!
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you have a friend or colleague who would enjoy reading the
Elder Care Law Alert? If
so, please feel free to forward it to them. Simply use the "Forward"
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send your request to:
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*Attorney
Marshall
is certified as an
Elder Law Attorney by the National Elder Law Foundation under
authorization from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court
© 2000-2005
Marshall & Associates www.paelderlaw.com
