How Drug Stores Profit with Free Meds

  According to the CDC, half of  all adults in the USA have at least one chronic disease.  According to the National Council on Aging, 92% of older adults (I do not know what age, but lets assume over 65) have at least one chronic disease and a disturbing 77% have at least two.  
  Chronic disease include heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, arthritis and some lung conditions.  These are often preventable.  Lifestyle factors that increase the risk of these conditions are physical inactivity, being overweight, poor diet, and smoking.
   I have noticed that many pharmacies, like the one at my local grocery store, offer FREE generic diabetes medication.  I imagine that this is because they will make money when they charge customers for all their other medications (because so many of them have more than one disease).  
   I know people who say that they want to eat what they like (and as much as they like), that they are "fat and happy" and that they don't care to exercise.  Some of them get upset with people like me who support governmental policies that encourage dietary moderation (restraint) and try to reduce the amount of time people spend sitting. 
  But in the end, I am just trying to save them  money  and increase their healthy, active years of living.  Though I could put the drug companies out of business if everyone listened to me!. 

Hepatitis C - A test worth taking?

    In this recent post, I introduced the concern raised by the CDC and other health officials regarding possible undiagnosed cases of hepatitis C in those born between 1945 and 1964.  This group of 'baby boomers' may have engaged in high risk behavior in their twenties but spent much of the rest of their lives in low risk situations.  Both the person and their primary care physician (if they have one) are not connecting the earlier risk behavior with possible current hepatitis C status.  People of this age range, 47-67 may have contracted the disease years ago.  It is likely that many who were exposed to the virus have not cleared it from their systems.  I expect the number to be smaller (the amount exposed), but the CDC is worried.  They want everyone, with and without risk factors, to be tested.
   My thoughts on this have not changed since my blog post in May but the recommendation for testing has grown louder and stronger, with the CDC presenting more urgency today.  This was shared on tonight's Nightly News with Brian Williams. 
    {please note that I have NO expertise in this area and am only expressing my opinion on the suggestion that everyone be tested.  Those who have engaged in IV drug use or had a blood transfusion during that time period should strongly consider the personal value of a test.}
If you do not see the video here - try this link.

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