While the mainstream media drones on and on with minute-by-minute coverage of the 'Stimulus Bill' cross-party volley, millions of lives are being ravaged by our faltering economy. Lives are being torn apart in both loud and quiet ways; so it's not unexpected that medical treatment is way out of reach for many. I feel queasy thinking of the million former Cancer patients who beat the disease only to realize that they can't afford the medicines and treatments that can keep them healthy. According to Science Daily:

More than a million cancer survivors living in the United States are foregoing what they believe is necessary medical care due to the cost, and Hispanics and African-Americans are twice as likely to go without services, according to data presented at the American Association for Cancer Research conference on the Science of Health Care Disparities. Source

"These survivors are either going without, or significantly delaying, dental care, general medical care, mental health care or prescription drugs," said Kathryn Weaver, Ph.D., a cancer prevention fellow at the National Cancer Institute.

Is healthcare reform even mentioned as an item on the national agenda anymore?

Overall, the prevalence of foregoing medical care due to cost was 7.8 percent for general medical care, 9.9 percent for prescription medication, 11.3 percent for dental care and 2.7 percent for mental health care.

Compared to non-Hispanic whites, Hispanics were 2.14-fold more likely to forego prescription medications due to cost concerns and African-Americans were 87 percent more likely to forego prescriptions. For dental care, Hispanics were 2.31-fold more likely to go without and African-Americans were 57 percent more likely. [ ]

"Efforts to expand insurance coverage might go some way toward addressing these problems, but absent that, clinicians need to be more aware that their patients are not getting these services and work to try to connect them to charity or low-cost care," said Weaver. Source

Right below I've posted some links for low cost prescription medicine programs, many of them sponsored by the big pharmaceutical companies themselves.

Please forward this post to everyone. You never know who will benefit from this information.

Free and Low Cost Prescription Drugs. - click here
Needy Meds (dot) org - click here
Ovarian Cancer Prescription Drug Assistance - click here
Partnership for Prescription Assistance - click here