Prescription Drugs’ List Price Up 6.6% In Just 3 Weeks


Drug makers typically raise their prices in the beginning of the year and 2022 has been no exception.  A new study found that about 150 drug makers raised prices on 866 products in the U.S. during the first three weeks of the year by 6.6%.  That’s slightly less than the overall inflation rate of 7% over the past year, but there still may be more drug price hikes on the way.  Therefore, it’s possible that this could be a record year for drug price increase.  Some of the numbers have been eye popping, such as the 536% increase Exelan Pharmaceuticals implemented for its generic high blood pressure treatment Lisinopril.

People Are Living So Long Many Seniors Now Caring For Their Own Parents

A man and woman looking at a laptop


The Wall Street Journal recently ran a story about the fact that seniors are living longer and sometimes forced to care for their own parents in what are supposed to be their relaxing golden years.  We believe it!  Most of our caregivers are usually in their 20’s or 30’s or they are 50 and older.  The Journal story profiled Bob Tiller, an 80-year old retired lobbyist for nonprofits, who manages care for his 101-year old mother.  Both Bob and his mother are in continuing care facilities, but very far away from each other.  If there is an emergency with his mother, he makes the five-hour drive to see her.  He’s not alone.  An estimated 19% of the nation’s 53 million unpaid family caregivers are 65 and older, up from 13% in 2004.  Those 75 years and older make up a healthy 7% of our nation’s caregivers, according to the 2020 Caregiving in the U.S. report by the National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP.  This will continue to contribute to a growing crisis as people live longer and there aren’t enough caregivers to care for them.

 

Castroville, CA Home Care Aide (HCA) Senior Alzheimer’s & Dementia Caregiver Jobs Available : Set Your Own Hours: $2/Hour Extra On The Weekends CNA OR HHA Designation A Plus

A man and woman sitting in a wheelchair.


Castroville, CA Home Care Aide (HCA) Senior Alzheimer’s & Dementia Caregiver Jobs Available : Set Your Own Hours: $2/Hour Extra On The Weekends CNA OR HHA Designation A Plus (Also Aromas, Big Sur, Carmel, Carmel-by-the-sea, Carmel Valley,Corral-de-Tierra, Del Rey Oaks, Gonzalez, Greenfield, King City, Marina, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Pebble Beach, Prunedale, Salinas, Seaside, Soledad & Watsonville

We have developed a reputation for having the best caregivers (Home Care Aides or Senior Companions) in Monterey County over the past decade and have recently expanded into Santa Cruz County.   We are currently looking for qualified caregivers.

 

Family inHome Caregiving of Monterey is seeking compassionate, mature and dependable caregivers who want to improve the lives of our elderly Clients by providing in-home, non-medical care.  Our services include:

Caring companionship

Meal preparation

Incidental transportation

Running errands

Light housekeeping

Medication reminders

Monitoring of safety while bathing

Information and referral services

Other services that improve the safety, security and quality of life of seniors.

If you believe you would make an exceptional Home Care Aide, we would love to hear from you!  We prefer those with experience helping the elderly, disabled and others with mobility problems.  Having cared for those with dementia and/or Alzheimer’s is a plus.  To work for us, you must have excellent references, a clear criminal record, a good driving record, and an insured reliable vehicle.  To apply, please visit our website www.fhcofm.com, click on home care aides, then careers where you can fill out an application online.

Eli Lilly Gets Bad News About Its New Lung Cancer Drug Tuvut

A woman with glasses and a tie dye shirt smoking.


In a 14:1 vote, a panel advising U.S. drug regulators said Eli Lilly & Company and its Chinese partner (Innovent Biologics) needs to conduct more studies on a proposed new lung-cancer drug called Tuvut before giving FDA approval.  The panel was concerned about the tests done on the drug in China and said it had significant shortcomings and its results were not applicable to U.S. patients who would use the drug.  This is due in part that the study participants didn’t reflect the diversity of the U.S. population and they also suggested that Innovent undercounted adverse events.

FDA officials have recently cited concerns about the quality of drug studies conducted largely in China and whether the results in Chinese patients are directly applicable to patients in the U.S.  The most recent recommendation by the panel advising the FDA isn’t just a setback to Eli Lilly, but is likely a shot over the bow to let U.S. drug companies know that they need to more carefully screen their Chinese partners or they may risk having important drugs see a long delay before gaining FDA approval or even being denied FDA approval altogether.

 

 

 

Seniors Got 5.9% Increase In Social Security, But It May Not Be Enough!

A jar of coins with the word retirement written on it.


Seniors were happy to get a big increase of 5.9% to their Social Security payments this year, but it may not have been enough.  It was announced by the Bureau of Labor Statistics today that The Consumer Price Index rose 7.5% year-over-year in January.  That came in well above the median forecast of 7.3% from economists surveyed by Bloomberg.  It is the strongest consumer price growth since 1982!

https://www.businessinsider.com/inflation-cpi-january-price-growth-report-omicron-wave-supply-chains-2022-2?nr_email_referer=1&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Business_Insider_select&pt=385758&ct=Sailthru_BI_Newsletters&mt=8&utm_campaign=Insider%20Select%202022-02-11&utm_term=INSIDER%20SELECT%20-%20ENGAGED%2C%20ACTIVE%2C%20PASSIVE%2C%20DISENGAGED%2C%20NEW

Telehealth Use Remains Popular With Patients And Physicians

A person holding a stethoscope in front of a laptop.


The use of Telehealth soared during the early days of the pandemic, but still remains strong years into the coronavirus pandemic.  Prior to this crisis, most health care plans covered Telehealth, but very few patients used it.  Social distancing to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 led many health care providers to start delivering more services remotely.  Medicare suspended restrictions on which telehealth services it covered, the geographic location of the beneficiary and whether the visit had to originate in a health care facility.  This further fueled the use of Telehealth by seniors.  A new study used data from Cosmos, a HIPAA-defined Limited Data Set of more than 126 million patients from 156 organizations including data from 889 hospital and 19,420 clinics from 50 states. It found that Telehealth use soared from less than 1% before the pandemic to 13% of outpatient visits in the first 6 months of the pandemic, then declined to 11% during the next 6 month period and was down to 8% in the latest period measured (March-August of 2021).  Still, 8% is a pretty high number and it’s nice seniors still have this option under the current Medicare system.

Cancer Moonshot Announced By White House

A group of people giving thumbs up to the camera.


President Joe Biden has promised to cut the cancer death rate in half over the next 25 years and improve the experience of patients and families, “ending cancer as we know it.â€Â  The “Cancer Moonshot†coming out of the oval office thrilled doctors, patients and researchers.  Currently, effective treatments and early detection tools aren’t reaching enough people.  And people aren’t making the lifestyle changes needed to dramatically cut cancer rates.  However, with technology driving innovation in cancer treatment, Biden certainly has a shot.

https://www.healio.com/news/hematology-oncology/20220202/biden-relaunches-moonshot-with-aim-to-cut-cancer-deaths-by-at-least-50-in-25-years

Medicare Agrees To Cover 8 Home COVID Tests Per Month

A close up of many viruses on a red background


Medicare is usually the leader on what sort of medications are approved for payment, with private insurance companies typically following suit.  Not this time.  It was weeks after President Joe Biden said private insurance companies had to cover the cost of at-home COVID test that finally Medicare announced it would cover up to 8 tests per home per month.  Medicare will pay pharmacies and other entities directly to allow enrollees to pick up the free tests. Until the tests become available in drug stores, you can order them at wwww.CovidTests.gov.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2022/02/03/medicare-cover-free-covid-19-home-tests-starting-spring/6647349001/

God Bless Ed Dowd : Largest Donation in Natividad’s History!

A group of people giving thumbs up to the camera.


God Bless Ed Dowd, who just gave a $1 million donation (the largest in its history) to Natividad Foundation, the funder for Natividad hospital and its health care system.  He made the gift in his mother’s memory.  Nora Dowd worked as a registered nurse in Natividad’s mental health unit for 30 years.

Capitola, CA Home Care Aide (HCA) Senior Caregiver Jobs Available : Set Your Own Hours : $2 Per Hour More On Weekends

A nurse is smiling next to an older woman.


Capitola, CA  Home Care Aide (HCA) Senior Caregiver Jobs Available : Set Your Own Hours : $2 Per Hour More On Weekends (Aptos, Ben Lomond,  Boulder Creek, Capitola, Davenport, Felton, Freedom, Mount Hermon, Santa Cruz, Scotts Valley, Soquel & Watsonville)

We have developed a reputation for having the best caregivers (Home Care Aides or Senior Companions) in Monterey County over the past decade, and we are now expanding into Santa Cruz County.   We are currently looking for qualified caregivers.

Family inHome Caregiving is seeking compassionate, mature and dependable caregivers who want to improve the lives of our elderly Clients by providing in-home, non-medical care.  Our services include:

Caring companionship

Meal preparation

Incidental transportation

Running errands

Light housekeeping

Medication reminders

Monitoring of safety while bathing

Information and referral services

Other services that improve the safety, security and quality of life of seniors.

If you believe you would make an exceptional Home Care Aide, we would love to hear from you!  We prefer those with experience helping the elderly, disabled and others with mobility problems.  Having cared for those with dementia and/or Alzheimer’s is a plus.  To work for us, you must have excellent references, a clear criminal record, a good driving record, and an insured reliable vehicle.  To apply, please visit our website www.fhcofm.com, click on home care aides, then careers where you can fill out an application online.  We have immediate openings.

https://tsc221.ersp.biz/index.cfm?event=Apply.index