Category Archives for Healthcare

Democrats Put High Drug Costs on Radar Screen

Published in Woonsocket Call on September 30, 2018

On August 21, at an afternoon Democratic Senate hearing titled “America Speaks Out: The Urgent Need to Tackle Health Care Costs and Prescription Drug Prices,” Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Ron Wyden (D-WA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Tina Smith (D-MN), Richard Durbin (D-IL), and Joe Manchin (D-WV), gathered to hear the personal stories of witnesses who have struggled with paying for the high cost of prescription drugs and listen to an expert who tracks price trends for prescription drugs widely used by older Americans.

In the last 18 years prescription drug prices have risen 3 times faster than physician and clinical services,” says DPCC’s chairwoman Stabenow in her opening statement. “We pay the highest prices in the world. The outrages prices force people to skip doses, split pills in half and even go without the medication they need,” she says, calling this problem a “matter of life and death,” says Stabenow.

Democrats believe health care to be a basic human right, while the GOP considers it to be a commodity to go to the highest bidder, adds Stabenow, denoting the philosophical differences of the two political parties.

Wyden, Ranking Member on the Senate Finance Committee who sits on the DPCC, recalled that two years ago when then presidential candidate Donald Trump was on the campaign trail pledged to make sure Medicare would negotiate like crazy to hold down costs for seniors and taxpayers. While Trump is well into one year and a half into his term, Americans year ad half into his term Americans believe it is crazy that we are still not negotiating to hold down the cost of medicine.

Wyden and his fellow DPCC committee members also call for Medicare to allow Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices with pharmaceutical companies.

Senate DPCCs Puts Spotlight on Rising Drug Costs

At the Senate’s DPCC’s hearing, Witness Nicole Smith-Holt, a Minnesota state employee, and mother of four children shared a tragic story about her 26-year old diabetic son, Alec, who had died because he could not afford his copay of $1,300 for diabetic supplies and insulin.

The Richfield, Minnesota resident recounted how her son tried to ration the insulin to make it last until his next paycheck, but he died as a result of diabetic ketoacidosis.

Stahis Panagides, an 80-year old Bethesda, Maryland retiree, testified that he could not afford to pay $ 400 per month for prescribed Parkinson’s medication. He could not pay for the new course of treatment, recommended by his neurologist, even with a supplemental Medicare plan, he says, so he just refused to take it.

Retired social worker John Glaser, a long-time grassroots organizer for the Washington, DC-based National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, came before the Democratic committee, saying “Medicare drug benefits and the Affordable Care Act’s closing of the coverage ‘donut hole’ have made a huge difference in my life and are invaluable for the quality of my life. Without these improvements he would have spent about $5,000 one-of-pocket on prescription drugs last year, he notes.

Glaser also shared that his brother, who is afflicted with diabetes, heart problems, and kidney disease, takes over 50 pills every day. “If my brother had to pay the full price for all of those drugs, he’d be living on the street,” he says.

Marques Jones, who has Multiple Sclerosis (MS), told the Senators that his MS medication costs about $75,000 annually. Despite having robust insurance coverage, Jones’ annual out-of-pocket spending on drug co-pays and insurance premiums for his family of five is very high. This has caused the resident of Richmond, Virginia to become a vocal advocate for those who suffer from MS.

Finally, Leigh Purvis, Director, Health Services Research, AARP Public Policy Institute, a coauthor of the AARP Public Policy Institute’s annual RX Price Watch Reports, warned that today’s prescription drug price trends are not sustainable. “The current system is simply shifting costs onto patients and taxpayers while drug companies remain free to set incredibly high prices and increase them any time that they want,” says Purvis, noting that Congressional efforts to reduce prescription drug prices could save billions of dollars.

AARP Report Tracks Skyrocketing Drug Costs

One month after Senate’s DPCC’s hearing, a new AARP report, released on September 27, 2018, says that retail prices for many of the most commonly-used brand name drugs prescribed to older adults by older adults increased by an average of 8.4 percent in 2017, greater than the general inflation rate of 2.1 percent. The annual average cost of therapy for just one brand name drug increased to almost $6,800 in 2017, says the AARP researchers.

According to the new “Rx Price Watch Report: Trends in Retail Prices of Prescription Drugs Widely Used by Older Americans: 2017 Year-End Update,” released just days ago, revealed that for over a decade, brand name drug prices have “exceeded the general inflation rate of other consumer goods by a factor of two-fold to more than 100-fold.”

If retail drug price charges had reflected the general inflation rate between 2006 and 2017, the average annual cost for one brand name drug in 2017 would have been $2,178 instead of $6,798, said the AARP Public Policy report.

Taking multiple medications can be costly, says the AARP report. “For the average senior taking 4.5 medications each month, this would translate into an annual cost of therapy that is almost $21,000 less than the actual average cost of therapy in 2017 ($9,801 vs. $30,591), notes the findings of the AARP report.

“Despite years of relentless public criticism, brand name drug companies continue increasing the prices of their products at rates that far exceed general inflation,” said AARP Chief Public Policy Officer Debra Whitman, in a September 26 statement with the release of the AARP report. “It’s clear that we need long-term, meaningful policies that go beyond just hoping that the drug industry will voluntarily change its excessive pricing behavior,” adds Whitman.

“The average older American taking 4.5 prescription medications each month would have faced more than $30,000 in brand name costs last year,” adds Leigh Purvis, Director of Health Services Research, AARP Public Policy Institute, and co-author of the AARP report. “That amount surpasses the median annual income of $26,200 for someone on Medicare by more than 20 percent. No American should have to choose between paying for their drugs and paying for food or rent,” says Purvis.

Some highlights of AARP’s New Drug Cost Report

AARP report’s findings noted that brand name drug prices increased four times faster than the 2017 general inflation rate and that drug retail prices that year increased for 87 percent of the 267 brand name drugs studied.

Finally, research findings indicated that “retail prices for 113 chronic-use brand name drugs on the market since at least 2006 increased cumulatively over 12 years by an average of 214 percent compared with the cumulative general inflation rate of 25 percent between 2006 to 2017.”

In recent correspondence to the Secretary of the Health and Human Services, AARP calls for regulatory and legislative reforms that will allow the Secretary to be able to negotiate drug prices for Medicare, allowing the safe importation of lower cost drugs into the United States and ensuring that generic drugs can more easily enter the market. Now, AARP waits for a response.

Putting the breaks on the skyrocketing pharmaceutical costs might just be the bipartisan issue that the new Congress can tackle once the dust settles from the upcoming mid-term elections.

To watch DPCC’s August 21st Senate hearing, go to https://www.democrats.senate.gov/dpcc/hearings/senate-democrats-to-hold-hearing-with-americans-hurt-by-high-cost-of-prescription-drugs.

For a copy of AARP’s drug cost report, to http://www.aarp.org/rxpricewatch.

Courtesy of AARP: Long-Term Care Data at Your Finger Tips

Published in the Woonsocket Call on September 2, 2018

Across the States 2018: Profiles of Long-Term Services and Supports, by Ari Houser, Wendy Fox-Grage, Kathleen Ujvari, of AARP’s Public Policy Institute, was released days ago. The jampacked 84-page AARP reference report gives state and federal policy makers comparable state-level and national data culled from a large number of research studies and data sources, some of the data gleaned from original sources.

AARP considers the 10th edition of Across the States, published for the past 24 years, “the flagship publication” to assist policy makers make informed decisions as they create programs, and policies for long-term services and supports (LTSS). State-specific data “is easily found, “at your fingertips,” claims AARP.

Across the States, released August 27, 2018, includes a myriad of aging topics include: age demographics and projections; living arrangements, income, and poverty; disability rates; costs of care; private long-term care insurance; Medicaid long-term services and supports; family caregivers; home- and community-based services (HCBS); and nursing facilities. Each state profile is a four-page, user-friendly, print-ready document that provides each state’s data and rankings.

Looking at Trends

AARP Public Policy Institute researchers have identified four trends in reviewing state data. Of most importance to Congress and state legislatures, Across the States gives a warning that America’s population is aging. The nation’s age 85 and over population, those most in need of aging programs and services, is projected to triple between 2015 and 2050, a whopping 208 percent increase.

But, by comparison, the population younger than age 65 is expected to increase by only 12 percent. The under age 65 population, currently, 85 percent of the total population, is projected to be 78 percent in 2050. Bad news for propping up the Social Security system with the worker-to – beneficiary ratio declining.

Across the States researchers say that the demographic shift of an increasing older population will have an impact on family caregiving. “The caregiver support ratio compares the number of people ages 45–64 (peak caregiver age) to the number ages 80+ (peak care need),” notes the report. Today, there are about 7 people ages 45–64 for every person age 80. By 2050, that ratio will drop to 3 to 1.

America’s older population is also becoming more diverse, reflecting overall trends in the general population. Across the States researchers note that the Hispanic population age 65 and over is projected to quadruple between 2015 and 2050.

Finally, Across the States report notes that State Medicaid LTSS systems are becoming more balanced due to the increase of state dollars going to fund home and community-based services (specifically to care for older people and adults with disabilities). But, this trend varies in level of balance, say the researchers, noting that: “The percentage of LTSS spending for older people and adults with disabilities going to HCBS ranged from 13 percent to 73 percent in 2016. While 40 states became more balanced, 11 states became less balanced for older adults and people with physical disabilities in 2016 compared with 2011.”

Taking a Closer Look

Across the States notes that the age 85 and over population is projected to significantly outpace all other age groups when the aging baby boomers begin turning age 85 in 2031. In 2015, people ages 85 and older made up 2 percent of the US population. By 2050, they are projected to represent 5 percent. By contrast, in the Ocean State the age 85 and over population was 2.7 percent of the state’s population. By 2050, look for the oldest-old population to inch up to 5.4 percent.

Throughout the nation the cost for private pay nursing facility care is well out of reach of most middle-income families. Across the States notes that in 2017 the annual median cost for nursing facilities is $97,455 for a private room and $87,600 for a shared room. But, in Rhode Island the annual cost is higher, with a private room costing $ 104,025 and $ 101,835 for a shared room. The researchers say that for the cost of residing in a nursing facility for one year, a person could pay for three years of home care or five years of adult day services.

Because of the high costs, most people go through their life savings paying for costly care and ultimately have to rely on the state’s Medicaid program. Nationally, the percent of Medicaid as primary payer in 2016 was 62 percent (61 percent in Rhode Island).

According to Across the States, family caregivers provided $470 billion worth of unpaid care in 2013, more than six times the Medicaid spending on home and community-based services. In Rhode Island, 134,000 provided 124 million hours of care annually with an economic value $ 1.78 billion. But, AARP’s report warns federal and state policy makers about the stark demographics in America’s future that will for the nation’s “Oldest Old” to scramble to find a caregiver, due to a shortage. Will state’s have the financial resources to fund programs and services to make up for this demographic reality.

For a copy of Across the States report and Rhode Island specifics, go to: http://www.aarp.org/content/dam/aarp/ppi/2018/08/across-the-states-profiles-of-long-term-services-and-supports-full-report.pdf.

AARP Takes A Look at ‘Value of Experience’ of Older Workers

Published in the Woonsocket call on August 12, 2018

Given employers’ need for talent and experience, Oak Hill resident Henry Rosenthal, 67, with five decades in the workforce, readily agrees with AARP views that it’s a sound business decision to hire experienced workers, as supported by the findings of AARP’s recently released survey, The Value of Experience: AARP Multicultural Work and Jobs Study. The AARP report includes insights on workers, employers, and age bias, a hurtle Rosenthal had to overcome in finding reemployment after being unemployed for two years in his sixties.

AARP’s in-depth survey was conducted online in September 2017 to a national sample of 3,900 adults ages 45+ who were working full-time, part-time, or looking for work.

According to the results of AARP’s survey of experienced workers released on August 2, 2018, nearly 9 in 10 continue to work for financial reasons, but approximately 8 in 10 either enjoy or feel useful doing their job. And among those who plan to retire, over 1 in 4 plans to start a business or earn money in some independent way, including freelancing and contract work, teaching others, selling hand-made goods, and providing home services such as house cleaning and cooking.

“With rich work histories, varied experiences and expertise, older workers want to work, they’re ready to work, and they need to work,” said AARP Vice President of Financial Resilience Susan Weinstock. “More employers are looking for qualified candidates and experienced workers should have the opportunity to be judged on their merits, rather than their age,” says Weinstock.

To highlight job opportunities among 50-plus workers, AARP launched an employer pledge for companies who hire workers based on ability, regardless of age. Since 2013, 650 employers have signed AARP’s pledge. AARP also continues to educate employers about the value of older workforce and the positives of having multigenerational employees.

“According to government data [from the U.S Department of Labor Statistics,] workforce participation rates for older workers exceed participation before the Great Recession, while younger worker participation is below pre-recession numbers,” added Weinstock. “While employment trends for older workers are favorable, with 27.9% of 55-plus workers suffering long-term unemployment compared to 18.1 percent of 16-54 workers, the long-term unemployment disparity suggests that entrenched age-bias still exist too often in the workplace,” she says.

Age discrimination Still Around

Findings from AARP’s survey, The Value of Experience, show that many experienced workers still face the barrier of age discrimination in their job hunt or at their place of employment. More than 9 in 10 workers see age discrimination as somewhat or a very common occurrence.

Specifically, the AARP survey found that at work, more than 6 in 10 older workers (61 percent) report they’ve seen or experienced age discrimination in the workplace, and of those concerned about losing their job in the next year, one-third (34 percent) list age discrimination as either a major or minor reason. But only 3 percent of the survey respondents say that they had made a formal complaint to their supervisor, to Human Resources or a government agency

Age discrimination becomes more noticeable to those turning age 50 and over. Fifty four percent of those surveyed believe that age discrimination starts on that major age milestone, 28 percent at age 60. Ageist comments from either a boss or coworker are the most visibly frequent type of discrimination reported by the survey respondents.

According to the AARP survey, both employed workers and those who were unemployed looking for work viewed age discrimination as the key reason why they did not think they could find employment within three months.

On the job hunt, almost half (44 percent) of older job applicants say they have been asked for age-related information, such as birth date and graduation date, from a potential employer.

Over 90% of older Americans surveyed by AARP supported strengthening the nation’s age discrimination laws— nearly 6 in 10 (59 percent) strongly support a change and 32 percent somewhat agree they should be improved.

With 2017 marking the 50th Anniversary of the nation’s Age Discrimination Act of 1967, AARP’s new survey findings are timely as America’s workforce is aging and an increasing number of older workers report their age keeps them from becoming gainfully employed or underemployed.

A Personal Note:

Looking back, Rosenthal, says of his two-year job search, in 2015 after being laid off, he experienced age discrimination. “Having been interviewed by numerous Human Resource professionals, they just seem incapable of understanding that the years of experience someone has gained is an asset. They seem unable to appreciate that knowledge, experience, and even skills acquired over a lifetime can be transferred and used in virtually any organization or business,” he says.

Rosenthal says, “there is a higher probability of age discrimination occurring when company management, human resource professionals, and recruiters interview applicants older than themselves.” Like many older job seekers, he believes that decision-making executives are uncomfortable with overseeing older workers and rather than deal with them, they don’t just hire them.

Rosenthal, now gainfully “under employed,” views his older contemporaries as being “more stable, reliable, have better work ethics and generally make great employees, in line with AARP’s philosophy that Corporate America should value the experience of older workers. With the difficulty in finding employment Rosenthal believes that companies have not figured this out yet. “What a terrible waste of human capital,” he says.

AARP says its survey findings reveal that “older workers believe that age discrimination should be taken just a seriously as other forms of discrimination, and support strengthening the laws to ensure that it is.”

But, Rosenthal says that while combating age discrimination by strengthening the laws, real change can only occur by changing “our cultural attitudes.” Other cultures value their elders but here in America’s we don’t,” he says.

For a copy of AARP survey findings, go to http://www.aarp.org/content/dam/aarp/research/surveys_statistics/econ/2018/value-of-experience-chartbook.doi.10.26419-2Fres.00177.003.pdf.