Drug abuse

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NewsWorld NewsBusinessSportsEntertainmentHealthTech / ScienceWeatherTravelBlogs Etc.Local NewsNewsweekMultimediaMost PopularNBC NEWSMSNBC TVToday ShowNightly NewsMeet the PressDateline NBC  MSNBC Home » Health » AgingMedicare patients confronting drug restrictionsInsurers limiting access, quantity of prescriptions for chronically ill seniorsWASHINGTON - Thousands of elderly patients are learning the hard way that it isn't enough to check whether their medicines are covered under a new Medicare drug plan they have chosen.Insurers are using a broad range of tools to get customers to take the cheaper drugs they want them to take, and failure to follow their instructions can be costly.In many cases, a patient's doctor has to get prior approval for a drug before the plan will cover it.

In others, the plan will limit the quantity of a drug the patient can get.Plans also divide drugs into tiers.

The lowest level requires only nominal out-of-pocket costs, while the highest - called specialty tiers - require the customer to pay for a quarter, a third or even more of the costs.The tools are not unique to Medicare.

The Veterans Affairs Department uses them, and almost all workplace drug plans - including the healt...

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