Generic meds are supposed to be relatively cheap; multiple companies can make the same molecule, leading to price-lowering competition. But that’s not always what happens in the US market. Look at the prices of these generics, in the US vs Canada: We need to take regulatory or legislative steps to reduce the price of generic…
Shutterstock Legalizing medical marijuana is controversial. Physicians have not always prescribed controlled substances wisely, as a look at our narcotic epidemic confirms. But marijuana is much safer than narcotics and, according to a recent study, might even save us money, by reducing people’s need for other, often more expensive medications. Most notably, marijuana can be…
I post pretty regularly on out-of-pocket medical expenses, a topic I’ve been conducting research on, and one that will fit centrally into the new book I’m writing. Most often when people think about paying for medical care, they think about medications. But as this figure from the Kaiser Family Foundation shows, don’t forget about the…
According to recent research, a hug a day could keep the doctor away. According to another study, twitter can predict the chance that people will experience heart attacks. A normal blogger would look at these two findings and tell a story about the relationship between stress and health. I’m not normal. I looked at these…
How is a physician supposed to know which medicine is most affordable under which insurance plan?
Fortunately, there are tools coming into use designed to help clinicians figure out patient-specific costs of any medication they prescribe. The tools (jargon alert!) are called RTBTs, for real-time benefit tools.
A JAMA study shows how our diets have changed since 2000. The big winners? Nuts Whole grains Whole fruits The big losers? Sugar sweetened beverages Fruit juice White potatoes Maybe there’s hope for us after all?