By the end of this summer, more than 24,000 older North Dakotans will have fallen into the “doughnut hole” – a coverage gap in Medicare’s prescription drug program that leaves individuals on the hook for all of their own drug costs while still paying premiums.  AARP this week launched a new online resource to help more than one million older Americans avoid this dreaded coverage gap.

The AARP Doughnut Hole Calculator, available at www.aarp.org/doughnuthole, guides visitors through their prescription drug options using localized information about their plans and prescriptions to determine if or when they will fall into the coverage gap.  In about 15 minutes, visitors can view a graph of their out-of-pocket spending by month, look up lower cost drugs for their conditions, create a Personal Medication Record and print out personalized letters to their doctors to help start a conversation about safely switching prescriptions.

“One in three North Dakota residents in Medicare fall into the gap each year, and thousands more nervously wonder if they might fall in,” said Janis Cheney, AARP State Director. “For the first time, people in Medicare have a simple way to learn if they’ll fall into the doughnut hole and find ways to avoid it by switching to safe, less expensive medications.”

As a part of its Health Action Now campaign, AARP is calling on Congress to close the doughnut hole and lower prescription drug prices so that no one has to go without the prescriptions they need to stay healthy.  Earlier this week, AARP joined President Obama to endorse an agreement by Senate leaders and the pharmaceutical industry that would reduce brand name drug costs for most people who fall into the doughnut hole by half.  Research has shown people cut back on their prescription drugs when their costs become unaffordable, which can lead to more serious health conditions and larger health care bills.

“Saving money on prescription drugs is going to mean pressing hard in Washington to close the doughnut hole. Monday we were proud to help announce significant progress toward that goal,” Cheney said. “In the meantime, we also want to give Americans the tools they need to cut their drug costs and stay out of the gap in the first place. We encourage every person in Medicare to take a few minutes to find the right drugs at the lowest prices.”

The calculator is powered by DestinationRx as part of a special arrangement between AARP and Medicare. The data is the same used by the Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Finder, giving users the most accurate and up-to-date drug pricing information available.

For details on AARP’s health reform priorities, visit http://www.aarp.org/governmentwatch.

This set of State Health Care Briefs provides a one-page overview of facts on health care data for each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Information is provided about each state’s older population, the uninsured, Medicare beneficiaries including those who fall into the “doughnut hole,” hospital re-admissions among Medicare beneficiaries, the distribution of Medicaid long-term care funds, and prescription drug spending.

To view the report, click here: http://www.aarp.org/research/health/carefinancing/state_hcb_09.html

If you missed the AARP-sponsored May 27 broadcast of the health care reform roundtable with Senator Kent Conrad, you can watch it by clicking on the "My Videos" tab above.

You can also watch it online on Prairie Public Broadcasting's website at  http://www.prairiepublic.org/television/local-productions/?post=12629.

Other panelists include:

• Bonnie Cramer, AARP's national board chair.
• Andy Stern, president of the Service Employees International Union.
• Kelli Poehls, public affairs coordinator for the Fargo Moorhead Chamber of Commerce
• Woody Barth, Vice President of the North Dakota Farmers Union.

Prairie Public also plans to re-broadcast the roundtable. You can check the program guide for times and dates at www.prairiepublic.org/television/tv-schedule/.

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AARP has made guaranteeing access to affordable health coverage for people aged 50-64 an essential element of health reform.

Why? Americans aged 50-64 – who make up nearly half of AARP’s 40 million members – are taking a hard hit in these times of shrinking employer-sponsored health coverage. They have become the fastest growing group of uninsured. The rate at which they have been losing coverage is really alarming – 36 percent between 2000 and 2007.

In North Dakota, more than 12,000 adults in that age group (9.5 percent) were uninsured in 2007. Of those 10,239 were employed.

And, now, in today’s turbulent economy, as more working men and women in this age group are losing jobs with employer-sponsored health care, they are finding it more and more difficult – if not impossible – to get affordable individual coverage. This is – in large part – because health insurers consider age and pre-existing conditions when setting their rates.

Seven of every 10 Americans in this age group have at least one – if not several – such chronic health conditions as diabetes and heart disease. Insurance industry data show that insurers reject between 17 and 28 percent of all applications from people aged 50-64. And those “lucky” enough to find individual coverage must pay, on average, premiums that average three times higher than premiums for those of the same age who have employer coverage. And their out-of-pocket spending for health care is more than twice that of those with employer coverage – despite less generous benefits.

This problem is becoming more serious because our 50-64 population is growing rapidly. Nearly one of every five Americans will be 50-64 by 2015. So, AARP is pressing Congress to find a common-sense solution to the coverage gap for those 50-64 years old.

For information on AARP’s efforts to help people in this age group – and on ways you can help – please check out our new webpage for health reform –   www.healthactionnow.org.

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Consumers looking to save in today’s tough economy should start by talking to their doctors about their prescription drugs, according to a new report by AARP.  The latest AARP “Rx Watchdog Report” finds that manufacturer prices for widely used brand name prescription drugs jumped by nearly nine percent in 2008, marking the largest average annual increase in six years and far exceeding the general inflation rate of just 3.8 percent.

“A person taking three brand name prescription drugs could see his or her annual costs climb by more than $550 in just one year,” said AARP Public Policy Director John Rother.  “Switching to generic drugs whenever possible is one of the quickest and easiest ways to drastically reduce your health care bills.”

In contrast, the study by AARP’s Public Policy Institute found that the manufacturer prices of widely used generic drugs continued to decrease in 2008, falling by an average of 10.6 percent.  The vast majority of generics (83 percent) did not change in price in 2008, despite an increase in general inflation.  Many of the generics that did drop in price saw drastic decreases.  While the manufacturer price for the brand name antidepressant Zoloft (50 and 100 mg tablets) increased by 12.3 percent in 2008, the manufacturer price for generic sertraline made by Teva Pharmaceuticals decreased by 45.1 percent.

Even for those with prescription drug coverage, switching to generics can mean substantial savings.  Cost sharing for generics remains dramatically lower than for many brand name drugs.  In 2007, generic drug copayments averaged less than $8, while average copayments for “preferred” and “non-preferred” brand name drugs were $19 and $28 according to a report by Express Scripts.

AARP’s report also examined the manufacturer prices of widely used specialty prescription drugs, which treat serious illnesses like cancer, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis.  These drugs had even larger price increases than traditional brand name drugs, rising an average of 9.3 percent in the last year.  The average annual increase in the cost of therapy for a specialty drug grew from $2,297 to $2,860 between 2007 and 2008.  Thirty-one of the widely used specialty drugs were biologic drugs, which are made from living organisms.  There currently is no FDA pathway for the approval of less expensive generic versions of biologic drugs, leaving manufacturers free to continue charging the same or even higher prices.

Rother added, “Specialty drugs are already expensive because of their development costs, so it doesn’t help that many are biologic drugs that don’t face generic competition.  That’s why we need health reform now.  Bringing generic biologic drugs to the market can dramatically lower costs for the millions of Americans who can’t afford the life-saving drugs they need.”

As a part of its health reform campaign, AARP is urging Congress to address the rising cost of prescription drugs, particularly through policies that will bring more generic competition to the marketplace.  Cost saving measures include allowing Medicare to negotiate directly with drug makers, closing loopholes that allow brand name drug makers to pay off generic drug producers, allowing for the legal importation of safe prescription drugs from abroad, and creating a pathway for the approval of generic versions of biologic drugs.

The list of prescription drugs analyzed in the AARP “Rx Watchdog Report” is based on the drugs most widely prescribed to Medicare Part D beneficiaries.  Price changes are measured using changes in the wholesale acquisition cost (WAC) as published by the Medi-Span Price-Chek PC database.

The complete AARP “Rx Watchdog Report” is available at http://www.aarp.org/research/health/drugs/rx_watchdog.html .

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Our members tell us that health care reform is urgent and must be our top priority. We cannot fix our broken economy unless we fix our broken health care system. With so many people facing the prospect of losing their coverage or having their health care premiums double, the time for action on health reform is now.

AARP is calling on Congress and the President to work in a bipartisan way to reach common-sense solutions on health reform this year. We know there are some in Congress who believe our current economic crisis means we can’t afford to fix health care right now. The opposite is true. With the cost of care skyrocketing and families’ health premiums slated to double in the next 10 years, we have one message for them: we cannot afford not to.

AARP believes any real health care reform plan must:

• Ensure Americans age 50 to 64 have a choice of health care plans they can afford regardless of age or health;
• Lower health costs for people on Medicare while eliminating waste, fraud and abuse that result in medical errors and poor care;
• Ensure both the benefits and the cost of health reform are shared by Americans of all generations; and
• Make it possible for individuals to choose to receive care at home rather than in institutions.

That’s why AARP is launching HealthActionNow.org to focus on the need for all Americans to have affordable health care choices. Visit the website and send a message to Congress telling them you won’t settle for anything less than health action now.

Then, help us bring the health reform message to others. If you can host a group (large or small), please contact us to arrange for a speaker. Call 701-355-3643.

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AARP’s Driver Safety program is in need of a statewide volunteer coordinator and local driver safety classroom instructors.

The statewide volunteer coordinator for the We Need To Talk program would work primarily with the eight regional highway patrol offices as well as driver safety classroom instructors.

Driver safety course instructors are also needed in several regions of the state: Rugby-Bottineau; Carrington; Harvey; Devils Lake-Langdon; Wahpeton-Oakes; Enderlin-Lidgerwood; and Jamestown.

For more information, contact Marlowe Kro at the AARP state office in Bismarck at 701-355-3643.

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The North Dakota Department of Health and the North Dakota Health Care Data Committee recently released the 2009 Guide to Nursing Facility Charges. The publication contains a complete list of rates for every nursing home in the state and compares these rates to the statewide averages.

The Web-based publication contains a complete list of rates for all nursing homes in North Dakota and compares these rates to the statewide averages.

The guide is available on the the Health Department’s website at www.ndhealth.gov . Clicks on “Topics A to Z,” then scroll down to and click on “Nursing Facility Charges.”

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Older people take more medicines than other groups. Did you know that their heavy prescription drug usage makes them more susceptible to improper medicine use and dangerous drug interactions? Unfortunately, the world of prescription drugs is so personal and complex that we don’t talk about it much — even with our doctors and pharmacists.

We’d like to change this. Here’s what you can do to help. Please visit aarp.org/CreateTheGood . You’ll find information on our newest Create The Good project, Rx Snapshot. It includes a Personal Medication Record and simple tips for managing medications. Help someone you know to fill out the record and encourage them to review it with their health care providers. That’s it. Easy.

And for those who want to organize a medication review session for your group, check out our easy guide to help you get organized.

Thanks in advance for your help. By lending a hand in this simple way, you can do so much good in your community.

P.S. Don’t wait. Please visit aarp.org/CreateTheGood today.

David Peterson of Bismarck has been named the new state president of AARP North Dakota.

Peterson retired in December as an assistant U.S. attorney. A native of Carpio, N.D., he spent 40 years practicing law in the state.