Rx Watchdog Report

Watchdog Newsroom

• Private Medicare Drug Plans: Seniors and Taxpayers Hurt by High Expenses, Low Rebates: Unlike traditional Medicare, which is run directly by the government, the new Medicare Part D prescription drug program depends on private insurers to provide drug coverage to Medicare beneficiaries.
• Study finds older diabetes drugs are "just as good": A meta-analysis commissioned by the U.S. federal government of more than 200 studies of diabetes drugs found that older and cheaper drugs are just as good in treating type 2 diabetes as newer expensive medicines.
• Drug Developement: New report details healthcare industry's massive spending in presidential campaign, federal lobbying. (http://www.newsrx.com)
• Medicare drugs too costly for many: Survey finds About 20% of enrollees have opted not to buy prescriptions. Few know about a subsidy plan for low-income seniors. (http://www.latimes.com)
• "The Deal" with Pharmaceutical Drugs:Efforts to address the issue of high prescription drug prices are stymied by the mysteries that underlie the pharmaceutical drug market.
• A Dangerous Mix: Mixing medications can be dangerous—even deadly. Online "drug interaction checkers" allow patients to plug in the names of their medications and produce a report that typically lists possible interactions with certain foods, alcohol and other drugs. (http://www.washingtonpost.com)
• Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: An international update on the comparative performance of American health care. (http://www.commonwealthfund.org/)