Home Care in Solana Beach Explains Medi-Cal Prescription Cut

With the nationwide health care upheaval caused by the Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”) in recent months, it is easy for smaller-scale changes to go unnoticed. For seniors under home care in Solana Beach, one of those smaller changes is a substantial reduction in the Medi-Cal program. Starting this month, Medi-Cal will pay pharmacies 10 percent less than before for many important prescription drugs.

How the Cuts Work

In a dramatic move to save money, Medi-Cal has announced that pharmacies will receive 10 percent less money for drugs that they dispense to people covered by the state assistance system. Many common drugs are included on the list, representing a serious financial benefit for Medi-Cal but a possible disaster for many pharmacies—especially small businesses that already only make a minimal profit on those drugs. Some of those small businesses anticipate having to drop the affected drugs rather than lose money by distributing them under the new rules.

Time Will Tell the Damage

Seniors and home care in San Diego County will have to wait and see what level of effect the Medi-Cal cuts will have on them. If an elderly patient’s prescriptions are on the list of 2,600 drugs that are excluded from the cuts, they have nothing to worry about. Other seniors, though, may have to switch pharmacies. At worst, the affected drugs could become hard for patients to find as more pharmacies drop them.

Home Care in San Diego County for Prescription Help

Managing prescriptions is a task that becomes something of a part-time job for senior caregivers. Many seniors have multiple drugs on their schedules, each with its own dosage and time requirements. A daily professional caregiver can be a great help by monitoring prescription usage, adhering to dietary stipulations with healthy meals, and even picking up prescriptions for clients.