Medical Billing and Coding
High cost of medication has been the rule and not the exception for a while now and this makes patients who cannot afford it have untreated conditions and illness. Some are lucky enough to have prescription insurance but even with this, they carry the bigger burden in sharing of costs and end up not following prescription. In this case, Mrs. Rice has a low income and she cannot afford her drugs for high blood pressure but the good news is that, there is an option for generic medication, different medication choice and also programs that assist with prescription of medicine.
Atenolol, which is a beta class blocker, treats hypertension and heart associated chest pain, has different better choices pocket wise and health wise and metroprolol is an example. For Furosemide, which is a loop diuretic, eliminates salt and water from the body which in turn reduce blood volume hence a lower blood pressure. Thiazide diuretics used in lower doses work as effective as loop diuretics. As for lisinopril which acts on the renin angiotensin system and also functions as a diuretic can be discounted at pharmacies if the patient has a coupon from RXAssist which saves up to 80% the price of the three drugs. CommunityCaresRX.com, WellRX.com and GoodRX.com are more pharmacies that offer up to 60% discount programs. RXOutreach.com is a program that offers generic medicine which in most cases is cheaper. To qualify for these programs, one should not be insured, the income has to be low and quantities have to be reasonable.
More programs such as community health care are flexible in terms of charges depending on patient’s income. Free clinics also are part of these programs and help uninsured patients at a little to no cost. Nonprofit organizations and social programs like religious programs have funds to help patients who are unable to afford medication.
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