Publications

ConsumerTIME

Best Buy Drugs

AFSCME knows that rising prescription drug prices are a major factor in the ever-increasing cost of employer-paid health insurance and an enormous problem for workers and retirees who lack coverage altogether.

In an effort to get a handle on these soaring costs, AFSCME recently partnered with Consumers Union on a new project designed to help consumers (as well as doctors) compare prescription drugs based on price, effectiveness and safety.

Consumers Union is a non-profit organization that works toward a fair marketplace by testing products, empowering consumers with product information and publishing the well-respected Consumer Reports magazine. The new partnership project, called Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs, will eventually examine 20 categories of the most widely used drugs. If justified by the evidence, the project will name a "best buy" in a given category.

Along with AFSCME, other national partners for Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs include the AFL-CIO, Families USA, Common Cause, American Public Health Association, American Medical Student Association, Alliance for Retired Americans and National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare.

According to Joel Gurin, executive vice president of Consumers Union, "tens of millions of Americans aren't taking the medicines they need, in large part because they can't afford them." He added "once consumers begin to migrate to effective and safe drugs that are also more affordable," drug companies may see the need to lower their prices.

Best Buy Drugs has already issued reports on drugs in seven drug categories. Here are two examples of the findings:

  • Cholesterol-lowering drugs (category: statins). For people with moderate problems who need to reduce their "bad" cholesterol levels (LDLs) by less than 40 percent, Best Buy Drugs recommends a generic known as lovastatin. It costs about $1 a day — much less than brand-name statins (which aren't necessarily safer or more effective). For people with more serious problems, however (the need to lower LDL levels by more than 40 percent), the report recommends a brand-name drug as the best buy: Pfizer's Lipitor.
  • Drugs for heartburn, ulcer and acid reflux disease (category: proton pump inhibitors). The report names the over-the-counter Prilosec OTC as the best buy drug at 79 cents per day — one-fifth the cost and no less safe or effective than the next least-expensive drug. Because Prilosec OTC is sold without a prescription, however, Consumers Union suggests that insured consumers check to see if their insurance company offers a discount coupon for this drug.

To see the reports on other drug categories, log onto the Best Buy Drugs web site. Even if you have insurance that covers most of your drug costs, you'll find important information here on the effectiveness of the drugs you take.

End of Life Decisions

Consider the recent case of Florida's Terri Schiavo — a woman kept alive by a feeding tube for 15 years and fought over by a family with opposing views on whether she'd choose to remain in that state or have the tube removed. Unable to express herself, Terri's fate was beyond her control.

As a result of watching this excruciating turmoil played out in the media, millions of people started thinking of their own families and their own feelings about such life and death situations. If you're one of those who'd like more information on "living wills" and "durable powers of attorney," the AFSCME Retiree Program has produced a booklet that can help. For your copy of Questions & Answers on Advance Directives for End-of-Life Medical Treatment write: AFSCME Retiree Program; 1625 L Street, N.W.; Washington, D.C. 20036-5687; Re: Advance Directives Booklet.

Print Version