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Latest Posts by hedgeiii - Page 3
Opinion Here’s how to get free Paxlovid as many times as you need it
When the public health emergency around covid-19 ended, vaccines and treatments became commercial products, meaning companies could charge for them as they do other pharmaceuticals. Paxlovid, the highly effective antiviral pill that can prevent covid from becoming severe, now has a list price of nearly $1,400 for a five-day treatment course.
Thanks to an innovative agreement between the Biden administration and the drug’s manufacturer, Pfizer, Americans can still access the medication free or at very low cost through a program called Paxcess. The problem is that too few people — including pharmacists — are aware of it.
I learned of Paxcess only after readers wrote that pharmacies were charging them hundreds of dollars — or even the full list price — to fill their Paxlovid prescription. This shouldn’t be happening. A representative from Pfizer, which runs the program, explained to me that patients on Medicare and Medicaid or who are uninsured should get free Paxlovid. They need to sign up by going to paxlovid.iassist.com or by calling 877-219-7225. “We wanted to make enrollment as easy and as quick as possible,” the representative said.
Indeed, the process is straightforward. I clicked through the web form myself, and there are only three sets of information required. Patients first enter their name, date of birth and address. They then input their prescriber’s name and address and select their insurance type.
All this should take less than five minutes and can be done at home or at the pharmacy. A physician or pharmacist can fill it out on behalf of the patient, too. Importantly, this form does not ask for medical history, proof of a positive coronavirus test, income verification, citizenship status or other potentially sensitive and time-consuming information.
But there is one key requirement people need to be aware of: Patients must have a prescription for Paxlovid to start the enrollment process. It is not possible to pre-enroll. (Though, in a sense, people on Medicare or Medicaid are already pre-enrolled.)
Once the questionnaire is complete, the website generates a voucher within seconds. People can print it or email it themselves, and then they can exchange it for a free course of Paxlovid at most pharmacies.
Pfizer’s representative tells me that more than 57,000 pharmacies are contracted to participate in this program, including major chain drugstores such as CVS and Walgreens and large retail chains such as Walmart, Kroger and Costco. For those unable to go in person, a mail-order option is available, too.
The program works a little differently for patients with commercial insurance. Some insurance plans already cover Paxlovid without a co-pay. Anyone who is told there will be a charge should sign up for Paxcess, which would further bring down their co-pay and might even cover the entire cost.
Several readers have attested that Paxcess’s process was fast and seamless. I was also glad to learn that there is basically no limit to the number of times someone could use it. A person who contracts the coronavirus three times in a year could access Paxlovid free or at low cost each time.
Unfortunately, readers informed me of one major glitch: Though the Paxcess voucher is honored when presented, some pharmacies are not offering the program proactively. As a result, many patients are still being charged high co-pays even if they could have gotten the medication at no cost.
This is incredibly frustrating. However, after interviewing multiple people involved in the process, including representatives of major pharmacy chains and Biden administration officials, I believe everyone is sincere in trying to make things right. As we saw in the early days of the coronavirus vaccine rollout, it’s hard to get a new program off the ground. Policies that look good on paper run into multiple barriers during implementation.
Those involved are actively identifying and addressing these problems. For instance, a Walgreens representative explained to me that in addition to educating pharmacists and pharmacy techs about the program, the company learned it also had to make system changes to account for a different workflow. Normally, when pharmacists process a prescription, they inform patients of the co-pay and dispense the medication. But with Paxlovid, the system needs to stop them if there is a co-pay, so they can prompt patients to sign up for Paxcess.
Here is where patients and consumers must take a proactive role. That might not feel fair; after all, if someone is ill, people expect that the system will work to help them. But that’s not our reality. While pharmacies work to fix their system glitches, patients need to be their own best advocates. That means signing up for Paxcess as soon as they receive a Paxlovid prescription and helping spread the word so that others can get the antiviral at little or no cost, too.
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Love this
today we post everett true
That’s what always happens in capitalist societies. They say that if you don’t want to be poor, there’s a certain thing you have to do. But then everyone does it, so it’s no longer effective. The system depends on making sure that there’s always a supply of poor people to exploit.
Honestly, this sounds fucking FANTASTIC to me, and we should do it. Cry harder, Mitch.
The thing is lads I cannot think of a better use for my tax dollars than feeding children. I want my taxes to give the single mother of three healthcare. I want my taxes to take care of the elderly and the disabled. I don’t care if they’re citizens or legal residents or whatever. I want my taxes to help people. Because we’re trying to live in a goddamn society. Instead my taxes go towards bombing schools and hospitals and refugee camps. Billions and billions sent to proxy wars. And still people quibble over whether we should feed children. What are we doing here. Feed the kids.
#Memorable
I’ve seen the shortened version of Cab Calloway’s St James Infirmary Blues from the Betty Boop Snow White 1933 cartoon on Tumblr a few times, thought you’d all like the full version.
Reblog this post to cast Crumb of Serotonin on whoever you reblogged it from
Thank you for your service, President Biden. You have done so much for the American people.
Donald did nothing but drive us to the bottom.
If you believe in America’s future and want an honorable leader, you KNOW it’s time to vote Kamala Harris for President this November!
I really think people have forgotten just how bad things were under the Trump Administration. Literally every day there was news about some service being cut or someone terrible appointed somewhere they shouldn't be or what have you. He constantly flirted with WW3 and military dictatorship. It was such a blur of badness that there aren't big standouts for people to point to to make him "the XYZ president." it was everything. all the time. Why do we not remember this.
🥺✌️
In the wake of retiring Regenerate (my historically favorite mechanic, near to banding and retrace), adding protective activations and including the tap clause is such a healthy design decision. Instead of straight blanking card removal, it turns it into a Twiddle/ single tap down event, letting you prevent an attack or prevent it from blocking.
Such solid design IMO. I love this addendum to indestructible or any other protective activations, like this Hexproof one.
Prognostic Sphinx
Artist: Jesper Ejsing TCG Player Link Scryfall Link EDHREC Link
A flavor cross section of Mother of Runes and and the many/ reprints of Samite damage prevention cards (which fell off hard after New World Order, as they are very intense in combat math), this card was a fun build around with color - changing (usually Blue) creatures. Even Transguild Courier didn't exist yet.
A fun, potentially powerful build around from a former era. Fun times for me, and still a view worth the climb today.
Samite Elder
Artist: Terese Nielsen TCG Player Link Scryfall Link EDHREC Link
Biden is the most progressive president since FDR. He wasn't when he was running in 2020, but is sure as hell is now. In fact, he went from a milquetoast "not-trump" candidate to a bonafide, effective progressive.
This post lists a ton of his accomplishments, but I do want to call out again his recent medical debt can't be added to credit reports change. This is a massive step forward to controlling medical insurance, which is overwhelming so many of us.
I’ll say it again, please just grit your teeth and vote for Biden…
“After being wined and dined for years — with one of his billionaire patrons buying his mother’s house and fixing it up and putting his grandnephew through a ritzy private academy — Clarence Thomas returned the favor by casting his tie-breaking Citizens United vote, almost fully legalizing billionaires and giant companies bribing politicians. Political bribery is still illegal in Scotland, The Netherlands, and Australia, which is why politicians in those countries could stand up to the fossil fuel industry. America, in fact, is the only country in the developed world that lets the massive, gravitational “dark force” of billionaires’ and giant corporations’ money be used to purchase politicians who put themselves up for sale. And that’s not only why we won’t see a ban on fossil fuel advertising any day soon; it’s why we won’t see a lot of other things that a majority of Americans want, as well.”
— What is the Invisible Dark Force Destroying Everything?
This card boasts two Maddocks arts and two flavo texts. While it is three mana for a 2/1, first strike helps, and Regenerate - even at two mana - still helps me to love this card. I love skeletons, and this card did - are largely still does - feel like a *smart* card with decent utility whenever you drew it (regenerate always helps with this).
Lim-Dûl’s High Guard
“The Guard will forever stand ready. For them, death is merely an inconvenience, not an ending.” —Chaeska, Keeper of Tresserhorn
Artist: Anson Maddocks TCG Player Link Scryfall Link EDHREC Link
Another old favorite. 3/4 for three, keeping my trend of always like at- value heft even with a drawback. These "gating" creatures were a fun cycle, but still largely overcosted (IMO even 2001), save for this and the even better Horned Kavu.
Pre-flash Flash made the gating a potential straight upside that could save a creature. So much fun!
Fleetfoot Panther
Artist: Mark Brill TCG Player Link Scryfall Link EDHREC Link
An favorite- efficient, relevant creature types, strong flavor text, and awesome art.
Nielsen's comfort with alt-right groups is such a deep disappointment because the art is so fantastic. Excommunication is and was necessary.
Gaea’s Skyfolk
The grace of the forest and the spirit of the sea.
Artist: Terese Nielsen TCG Player Link Scryfall Link EDHREC Link
Tesla is tanking so hard it is dragging the entire EV segment's sales down into the negative. When you omit Tesla from the equation, EV sales are up 13% across the board.
Don't let anyone tell you EV sales are in a slump.
"Don't use Libby because it costs libraries too much, pirate instead" is such a weird, anti-patron, anti-author take that somehow manages to also be anti-library, in my professional librarian-ass opinion.
It's well documented that pirating books negatively affects authors directly* in a way that pirating movies or TV shows doesn't affect actors or writers, so I will likely always be anti-book piracy unless there's absolutely, positively no other option (i.e. the book simply doesn't exist outside of online archives at all, or in a particular language).
Also, yeah, Libby and Hoopla licenses are really expensive, but libraries buy them SO THAT PATRONS CAN USE THEM. If you're gonna be pissed at anybody about this shitty state of affairs, be pissed at publishing companies and continue to use Libby or Hoopla at your library so we can continue to justify having it to our funding bodies.
One of the best ways to support your library having services you like is to USE THOSE SERVICES. Yes, even if they are expensive.
*Yes, this is a blog post, but it's a blog post filled with links to news articles. If you can click one link, you can click another.
My absolute favorite cycle/ mechanic.
Crimson Muckwader
Artist: Steven Belledin TCG Player Link Scryfall Link EDHREC Link
Coraline is coming back into cinemas, in remastered 3D and in 2D, in August. Worldwide. Find out more, get tickets and suchlike at coraline.com...
Amen
i think star wars only works because george lucas was so much better at casting actors than he was terrible at writing dialogue and giving acting directions. like for the OT, he found a pot dealing fuckboy, a scion of hollywood royalty, and the kindest young man around, and was like "great, roll camera," and when they asked, "how do you want this acted?" he just looked at them blankly like "acting?? why do you need to act?? just stand there and be you, and say the lines, fast and intense, thank you..." and somehow their charisma did in fact carry the film.
To be fair, @thirteensfavoritetoy , the crown/ royal family is still one of the three houses of British parliament. The "Punxsutawneys" are not enshrined in a Government charter.
Perhaps an oversight we should correct.
this is quite literally on-par with a royal baby announcement
@neil-gaiman more like inEDible, amirght?
christ on a cracker (the last supper, oil on saltine)
