It is my opinion that the lack of affordable health care is one of the biggest problems facing the world today. As my project I have chosen to address the issue of prescription drug coverage. There are millions of people who have no prescription drug coverage and simply cannot afford to purchase the medications necessary to improve their quality of life. Although the awareness of this problem has increased, more actions need to be taken by more people in order to make real progress. I have chosen to be one of those people. I have chosen to pursue a career in pharmacy so this is an issue that hits home. This is a cause that I believe in and one that deserves my attention and dedication.
In solving a problem we must first look at some of the reasons why the problem exists. Many do not have prescription drug coverage because they simply cannot afford it. Employers can no longer afford to bear the brunt of providing this benefit to their employees and employees are not being compensated enough to cover the entire family. Drug prices are continuing to rise and family incomes are not. Many would be surprised to know that there are so many average, working class Americans who cannot afford adequate health care coverage. Then we have the problems with the elderly and those on fixed incomes. Perhaps they are the greatest number of sufferers. In a country as wealthy as ours it is shameful and sorrowful to know that some must choose between food and medicine because they cannot afford both. The assumption with the elderly is that because they receive social security and Medicare they will be able to afford their medicine. Fact is, for most, these resources only cover a small amount of their needs and then they are left with a fairly large amount to pay for on their own. While the recent implementation of the Medicare Prescription Drug Plan was supposed to help the elderly, it seems as though it has caused more confusion and more uncertainties among them.
I do understand that it is the sale of prescription drugs that allows critical research to continue, but if we cannot assist those who are sick now and improve our survival rate there will be no need for research to continue. Yes, there will always be sick people and there will always be needy, but I believe that we can do a better job of helping both. This is where my project comes in and where I have an opportunity and an obligation to help.
My objective is to help those individuals with no prescription coverage find affordable means by which to purchase their medication. My plan is to contact the pharmaceutical companies and act as an advocate for those patients who need assistance. While we are waiting on the government to fix this problem, I feel I must go the source where I can have the most impact and do the greater good. That would be the pharmaceutical companies. Pharmaceutical companies need to know that there are a large number of people who cannot and do not reap the benefits of their hard labor. There are some pharmaceutical companies that have patient assistance programs available for certain drugs. I plan to increase public awareness about these programs and help enroll as many people as I can. For those companies who do not have these types of problems, it is my plan to help launch change.
As a part of this project I will also provide information to patients about generic drugs and the cost difference between brand and generic medicines. This can be a huge savings for a lot of people and it is an effective option. I would like to be a resource for those individuals who need assistance. In doing so, it is also my obligation to educate along the way. I would like to provide information regarding the new Medicare prescription drug plans and perhaps bring some clarity and insight for those who are yet to understand this program and its benefits. I plan to get several pharmacists to volunteer some of their time in order to meet with these individuals, discuss the specifics of the medications they are taking and help them to understand their options. Patients need to be aware of the conditions their medications are treating, the side effects and the proper way to take their medications. I would like for people to go away feeling they have been educated and empowered to take charge of their own health.
As a means of increasing overall health awareness, my plan also involves going to the community and providing preventive services. These will include blood pressure checks, diabetic screenings, nutritional information and things of the sort. It is my belief that if we do more on the preventive side, the need for prescription drugs will decrease. I will actually talk to people and determine what the biggest problems are to them. Although the problems are basically the same overall, certain groups of people seem to have concerns that are unique to them and their communities. People must take an active role in being a solution to their own problems.
As part of my project I would also like to talk to employers and get some insight from their viewpoint on providing better health care coverage for their employees. What would it take? How much would it cost? Is it feasible? What can I do to help? This I think would be another good place to start to make a change.
We agree that everyone wants a better quality of life for themselves and their loved ones. The way to get that is what poses the problem; however, I believe that if more people took an active role, the journey there will be much shorter.

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 20th, 2006 at 12:01 pm and is filed under Class Comments, Week 03: Your Project. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.