Estimating the effects of prescription drug coverage for Medicare beneficiaries.
The recent experience enrolling Medicare beneficiaries in Part D prescription drug plans raises important questions about the stability and affordability of the new coverage. The Part D benefit relies on Medicare beneficiaries voluntarily choosing from a large selection of private stand-alone prescription drug plans (PDPs) and Medicare Advantage (MA)...

Benzodiazepines not tied to fractures.
Reduced use of benzodiazepines in elderly patients does not necessarily result in a lower incidence of hip fracture, according to a study by Anita Wagner, Pharm.D., of the department of ambulatory care and prevention at Harvard Medical School, Boston, and her colleagues. The researchers found no significant...

Slashing the high cost of prescription drugs.
There has never been an organization that has battled high drug prices more aggressively than the Life Extension Foundation. Back in the early 1980s, Life Extension was the first to suggest that Americans buy their drugs from countries where these same medications cost a fraction of the...

Changes in the effectiveness of state Medicaid drug program cost-containment policies following OBRA 1990.
I Introduction NATIONAL HEALTHCARE EXPENDITURES increased dramatically during the past two decades, accounting for 11.9 percent to 14.8 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 1990 and 2002, respectively. Overall, the largest components throughout this time period were hospital care ($254-$487b), physician and clinic services...

The 2002 elections: much sound, little fury.
"Now we can look forward to more obscene tax cuts for the rich, wholesale rape of the environment, huge deficits, obstruction of any investigation into corruption and a packed judiciary." Letter to the San Francisco Chronicle, November 7, 2002. According to much postelection commentary a shift of...

The Affordable Prescription Drugs Act: a solution for today's high prescription drug prices.
I. INTRODUCTION As we move forward into a new millennium, a large number of Americans, especially senior citizens or those without insurance, will find it increasingly difficult to obtain prescription drugs because of rising prices. International price increases have had the most severe consequences in third world...

Two commentaries on "fact or fiction?" (Part II).
Ms. Riley is Executive Director, National Academy for State Health Care Policy, a non-profit forum consisting of health policy leaders from the executive and legislative branches of U.S. state governments. In [another essay] laying out options for health care reform in the United States, Ted Marmor has...

Dario Frommer, Former California State Assembly Majority Leader, Joins L.A. office of Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw.
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP is pleased to announce the addition of Dario J. Frommer to the California Government Practice Group of its Los Angeles office. Mr. Frommer has served as majority leader of the California State Assembly and brings more than...

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U.S. seniors navigating new Medicare prescription drug plan: some beneficiaries encounter problems.
MILLIONS OF OLDER Americans have been settling into the new Medicare prescription drug program in recent months, discovering its advantages and navigating its pitfalls. However, while health care advocates agree that Medicare sorely needed a prescription drug benefit, they are "also dismayed to see their cautious warnings about cost...