Made in USA

With this current economic situation, I feel the simplest thing I can do to help is to start buying products that say "Made in USA" on them. I am sick of the USA being shipped overseas one dollar at a time. I will no longer buy products made in another country. This also means I will not be buying products that just say "Marketed by ...." or " Manufactured for..." I want to see that "Made in USA" on the label.

By doing this I am supporting the companies that are using American work force. I do not have to buy anything that was made outside the USA. I realize this is hard to do. Some products are built in the USA but the components may have been made outside the country. It is worth the time and energy to look at the label to support our fellow US workers.

Sometimes my decision means I have to pay more for the product. I know that the extra money is going to support US businesses and workers. Here is a recent example from my local WalMart. I paid $.97 for Idahoan Mashed Potatoes that were made in the USA instead of $.72 for Betty Crocker Mashed Potatoes that said "Manufactured for....". I know I paid a quarter more for the product I bought but I feel proud to have spent the American money on an American product.

As more people start doing this, it will cause a decrease in the demand for foreign made products and an increase demand for American made products. This will then create more jobs here instead of overseas. This is one of the simplest ways a regular American citizen can help the current economy.
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Insurance Drug Programs and Deals with Pharmaceutical Companies

A couple of years ago my husband was prescribed Crestor for his high cholesterol. After 6 months, our prescription drug program provider sent us a letter stating they would not be offering Crestor anymore. We had to change his medication to Vytorin. These two drugs aren't even the same and are made by different companies. Crestor is a rosuvastatin calcium drug made by AstraZeneca. Vytorin is an ezetimibe with simvastatin manufactured by Merck/Schering-Plough Pharmaceuticals.

Last month we get another letter that our provider will not longer cover Vytorin and that he needs to switch back to Crestor. This is not based on anything our doctor has told us or any research done with these drugs. It appears to be based on which pharmaceutical company is offering them the best price. I am waiting on them to send a similar letter about my Advicor.

Now I'm really steaming. I reviewed our prescription purchases and it seems that our drug insurance is charging us more than the store would for the Vytorin. We had been paying $30 for a 30 day supply. Then I noticed it jumped to $60 during the middle of the year. I checked and it seems that if I pay regular price at WalMart it would have only cost $38.19 for a 30 day supply. So we have been getting over-charged by $21.81 a month for his prescription because we have a drug program.

I have found a solution after doing research on the varies cholesterol drugs available. It seems Crestor, Advicor and Vytorin are just newer, more expensive versions of old standards like lovastatin, simvastatin and rosuvastatin. Some have niacin added. WalMart offers lovastatin at $4 for 30 days or $10 for 90 days. So why pay these outragous prices for name brand drugs. Niacin isn't that expensive. This means I can buy a year's supply for both my husband's and I for less than we were spending for 3 months of his medication.

Do not let your insurance programs or doctors decide how much you need to be spending on medication. Research your options. These options for us will result in major savings. Total cost per year for my husband and I is now $165 a year for lovastatin and niacin. We spent $1110 last year for the name brand drugs and only saw a slight improvement in our cholesterol levels. We should be able to receive the same or better results with the generic versions of our medications. The $945 not lining drug manufacturers' pockets in 2009 will be put to more practical use by us.
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