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- Rx has a special meaning in health insurance for prescription drugs insurance
- Rx is used often and so are the initials PD for prescription drugs
- Prescription drug insurance coverage is not required by Obamacare
- Prescription drug coverage is an optional protection in the Marketplace
- Prescription drug coverage is an optional protection in Medicare
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The Affordable Care Act reformed healthcare in the United States. Among the reforms were strengthening of the Medicare Trust Funds and its protections for access to prescription drugs. Obamacare plans provide an important bridge to outpatient medical care for eligible Americans. It is important to shop and compare to get affordable insurance and lower prescription drug costs.
Comparison shopping is a vital tool for finding the best private insurance plans for prescription drug coverage. Comparison shopping works for drug coverage under Medicare Advantage, Medicare Part D, and Marketplace plans.
Find the drug coverage you need by comparing prescription coverage plans for free! Click here to enter your zip code and start searching!
Origins of the Symbol Rx
The symbol Rx has a history. Hippocrates and his famous oath began in Greece in the Fifth Century, and this was a society that valued knowledge, teaching, and learning. The Greek culture was a base for the Roman Era. While they were clearly more interested in conquest, science did evolve. The Latin origin of Rx is the verb recipere which means literally ” take this.”
Recipere has the same root as the current word recipe. The Latin R was also the symbol of the Gods. It is an easy step to see that it became associated with advice on taking a herb or other relief giving substance. The modern prescription drug use is extensive.
The history of the Rx goes back to the early days of medicine. European doctors were trained in formal schools beginning in about 1500, and they were often trained in Latin.
The Symbol Rx Today
Rx is commonly used today to symbolize medicine and prescription drugs. Rx indicates a pharmacy or medical establishment. In some situations it symbolizes a medical solution for a problem, for example, the Rx is to take a pain killer.
In health insurance, Rx has a clear association with prescription drugs, prescription drug health plans, and manufactured medicines.
Individual Mandate
Every eligible person must get and keep qualified health insurance coverage. Those that refuse or fail to do so face a penalty. In 2016, the penalty was $695.00 per adult per year. The penalty for not having health insurance does not specifically include prescription drugs.
The essential health benefits, minimum e coverage, and limits on consumer liability do not raise the subject of prescription drugs. For many consumers, prescription drugs will be the biggest health expense of the calendar year.
The Employer Mandate
Employers with 50 or more full-time employees must offer health insurance and cover workers. The requirements do not include prescription drug coverage. These expenses can qualify as out-of-pocket costs and can add up to significant amounts for an individual’s or family budget.
Medicare Part D
The Medicare legislation started as a commitment to cover hospitalization and medical services. The Original Medicare offered fixed fees for services for hospitals and medical care facilities to treat older Americans. Years later, the
Congress added the Part D: Prescription Drug Benefit. It was increasingly clear that outpatient care depended on high-quality prescription drugs and that the costs of them could exceed the ability of average citizens to pay. Part D enlisted private insurance companies to create systems to manage the costs of drugs through insurance coverage.
The Donut Hole
The donut hole is a famous gap in drug coverage in Part D health insurance. People who spend more than $3,700 in 2017 will hit the donut hole. The Affordable Care Act has softened the blow. Customers will pay between 40 to 49 percent of the price of brand-name and generic drugs. They will get much more than that in credit towards the out-of-pocket limit.
The best part of the donut hole in 2017 is that people will get out of it quickly and reach full payment from insurance much sooner than in past years.
Original Medicare
Part A Hospital Insurance and Part B Medical Insurance formed the Original Medicare. It is a fixed-price system that restricts the medical providers while allowing members to shop as they wish.
They can use experts and their choice of hospitals. The prescription benefits of Parts A and B are limited to the medical treatments involved. Part B covers prescriptions that are, in some ways, supplies for durable devices.
Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drugs
The Congress passed Medicare Advantage as part of Medicare Part C. They wanted to provide more private sector participation in the Medicare programs. They legislation requires private insurance plans that equal the coverage of Original Medicare; this includes some limited prescription drug coverage for inpatient and outpatient treatment.
The law gives private firms flexibility to use creative efforts to develop benefit packages that meet consumer needs. Medicare Advantage plans often include a full-blown prescription drug coverage option.
Medicare Advantage with Prescription Drug Option —MA-PD
Some Medicare Advantage plans offer an all-in-one approach. They combine hospital, medical, and prescription drug insurance in a single plan. The Medicare Advantage plans that offer prescription drug benefits use the initials MA-PD. All-in-one plans can provide effective prescription drug coverage.
Customers must always search for the best prices and check that the drugs they use are in the plan formulary. Comparison shopping can help choose the best MA-PD.
Drugs in Modern Medicine
Prescription drugs play a leading role in modern medicine. They are the products of huge investments in drug development and research. More important, they also have a mountain of economic power in the marketing of prescription drugs. Because of the benefits
Because of the benefits from some prescription drugs, the government largely works with manufacturers to have an oversight process that protects the public interest in truthful claims, drug safety, and purity of ingredients.
Health Insurance and Prescription Drugs
Prescription insurance and health insurance help pay for the medical care that involves the use of prescription drugs. Powerful drugs and painkillers bring relief to millions. They also have vast potential for dependency, side effects, injury, and abuse.
Health insurance pays for the medical care that results in effective use of prescription drugs to treat or control illness. Prescription drug insurance pays part of the sometimes high costs of pharmaceuticals.
In Health Insurance Rx Stands for Medicine
The familiar Rx symbol represents the healing powers of prescription and other medicines. The advice from ancient history to “take this” still applies today. Medical research often results in prescription medicines designed for outpatient care to relieve pain and control conditions.
Comparison shopping is a great way to select prescription drug benefits from Marketplace plans, Medicare Advantage, and Medicare Part D. Enter your zip below and find providers in your state who offer affordable prescription drug benefits with their health insurance policies!
[su_spoiler title=”References:” icon=”caret-square” style=”fancy” open=”yes”]
- http://obamacarefacts.com/health-insurance/compare-health-plans/
- https://www.medicare.gov/part-d/how-part-d-works-with-other-insurance/part-d-and-other-insurance.html
- https://www.medicare.gov/part-d/coverage/part-d-coverage.html
- http://obamacarefacts.com/obamacare-individual-mandate/
- http://obamacarefacts.com/obamacare-employer-mandate/
- https://www.medicare.gov/sign-up-change-plans/decide-how-to-get-medicare/original-medicare/how-original-medicare-works.html
- http://obamacarefacts.com/questions/when-does-the-donut-hole-go-away/
- https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/prescription-drugs-outpatient.html
- https://www.medicare.gov/part-d/
- https://www.medicare.gov/what-medicare-covers/medicare-health-plans/medicare-advantage-plans-cover-all-medicare-services.html
- http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/
- https://www.medicare.gov/sign-up-change-plans/medicare-health-plans/different-types-of-medicare-health-plans-.html
- http://obamacarefacts.com/2016/04/07/drug-prices-and-the-cost-of-healthcare/
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