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| Drugs & Drug Discount Programs |
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| What Every Agent Must Know About Drugs & Discount Drug Programs OR Flash Gordon Got Off Easy Fighting Ming the Merciless, Compared to Fighting the Drug Industry |
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| By Sara Vannucci, Attorney |
Where do I begin? If you are anything like me, you have spent decades in
total apathy about pharmaceutical drugs. I see your eyes glazing over even
now. Well, I'm here to tell you that this subject will change your life,
professionally and personally, more profoundly than any other single
circumstance that you will encounter in the next decade.
The cost, effectiveness, and strong-arm withholding of some drugs through
Managed Care Programs are at the heart of something that you hold very dear
to you: the passage of the disposable wealth of the aged 50 and over
population group. As the pharmaceutical companies manage to drain away more
and more of the middle class savings reservoir, your opportunities to better
the lives of these good people diminish daily.
I see, on a daily basis, individuals, but mostly Seniors, spending $600,
$1100...sometimes more, on a single pop of just one prescription drug. And
those are the discount prices that I am able to provide them through our own
discount drug programs. MOST seniors are paying full ticket. More routinely,
what I am seeing is not these high priced drugs, but rather a mélange of ten
or even twenty drugs being taken all more or less simultaneously. I enroll
many seniors personally in our discount plans, and I run price requests for
an individual's incredible list of drugs, more medications AT ONE TIME than
I have taken in my entire 56 years in total. The combination can easily cost
these folks five or six hundred dollars a month. That's a lot of money to a
widow living on social security and an annuity or two.
I WANT you to look at this from a selfish view. I want every insurance,
annuity and healthcare agent that I can reach to realize that this is
disposable income and life savings that is being removed from the great
retirement pool of transferable wealth that we have seen in every
seminar...the greatest transfer of wealth in the history of mankind has begun.
And for many families, that income and collective nest egg, that you, as
professional advisors anticipated would be subject to your benign guidance
and advice, is, in fact, being diverted to a cruel chase for designer drugs
often no more efficacious than an older, cheaper, less publicized
medication.
In a moment, I'll tell you about how many of these dollars are being
diverted to expensive advertising agencies. This is a layer on top of the
obscene profits being paid to the pharmaceutical manufacturers. Ignore for
the moment the "Enron" corporate culture morality issues here. Ignore also
the corruption of public officials and agencies who are being "sponsored"
with political contributions by the hugely wealthy drug industry. We, in the
insurance industry have for many years, relied on the strong sword arm of
our lobbyist organizations, such as AALU, who have brought professional
insight and balance, as well as our collective muscle to the bargaining
table with Congress. We understand the need to push a perspective.
But what we are witnessing now...this huge buying of influence and protection...
is being bought at the expense of the Seniors. Financially. Socially. Most
urgently, at the overall good health of the Seniors. This is the most
overmedicated generation of Americans that our history has seen. This is not
just about equal access to all economic classes of life saving drugs. It is
equally about the marketing and consumption of huge quantities of drugs that
are unnecessary, duplicative, and you know what... It very likely is happening
to your own parents.
And, somewhat incidentally, it is beginning to erode the ability of Seniors
to invest, to better their lifestyles when tax laws change or companies
create new financial products. We are seeing the denial of options to many
folks who worked and planned hard for them. And no mistake, this will deny
you those same opportunities.
We, as an industry, are the ideal vehicle for helping seniors achieve
independence from the financial drain, the over-prescribing, and the
pervasive effect of massive advertising campaigns directed expressly to
Seniors. We understand insurance, we control powerful lobbies who do listen
to us. We can harness our influence to make a meaningful contribution, first
on behalf of seniors, next for the rest of Americans, and lastly, to protect
our own livelihoods. Again, wealth diverted to the Pharmaceutical industry
is gone forever.
You can do something meaningful very easily. We have a form letter that you
can paste into your email. You can join us in our "educational" efforts with
our Congressional representatives. But first you must know what this is all
about. As you have the time, please read the articles which will follow, and
come to know the enormity of the problem.
Why is there not better physician oversight?
Questions? Call or email Sara Vannucci, SaraVannucci@att.net or (480) 595-7462
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