WASHINGTON — Call it drugs for the departed: A quirky bureaucratic rule led the Medicare prescription drug program to pay for costly medications even after the patients were dead. That head-scratching policy is now getting a second look. A report released Friday by the Health and Human Services Department’s inspector general said the Medicare rule […]

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By Jeannette Sheehan Medications can have so many rewarding benefits to our bodies. There are pills to relieve everything from head pain to stomach aches. The worrisome part of all of these valuable medications can be how the medications might interact with one another. When one doctor prescribes a medication, he or she may not […]

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By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar
 WASHINGTON — With three weeks left for seniors to change their Medicare prescription plan for 2012, a new study brings distressing news: Copays for brand-name drugs are going up _ sharply in some cases. Copays for preferred brand-name drugs will increase by 40 percent on average next year, and non-preferred brands will […]

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By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar WASHINGTON — The Obama administration had good news for seniors Thursday: The average monthly premium for Medicare’s popular prescription program won’t go up next year. Many seniors may even see a dip in their costs, particularly if they shop around during open enrollment season this fall. Officials credited growing use of generics […]

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By Dr. Gary Blanchard Q: I am a fit 55-year-old man with a family history of heart disease, diabetes and high cholesterol. I work out daily and watch what I eat, but unfortunately my cholesterol and blood pressure is still very high. My primary care physician wants me to start taking cholesterol medication and high blood […]

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