Alex: Carbofed, Hylira, Andehist and ICAR
Me: What are drugs that I never heard of?
Alex: Yes, but that is not the answer we were looking for. The answer we wanted was "what are old medications that Medicaid has paid over $200 million for since 2004". Let's see what you risked.
Me: Everything.
Alex: Ahhh...that's a shame. Good having you with us.
Me: Can I get a free home game?
Alex: No
The story about the older "grandfathered" medications still being paid for by Medicaid is an interesting one. It shows that bureaucracy is still alive and well. It shows that making any changes to Medicaid will occur at a snail's pace. It shows that our government still pisses away money for no good reason. And it also shows that this Senator Grassley is a hard ass and that is a good thing. It doesn't explain to me; however, who these doctors are who are prescribing these outdated meds? Maybe someone can do a little extra investigation to see if they are worthy of keeping their licenses? This sounds harsh but it makes you wonder if we should be worried. No one wants to take away the driver's license from their little old lady patient until you see her driving on the sidewalk and by then it could be too late.
For those not in the know, Carbofed is for colds and flu, Hylira is a dry skin ointment, Andehist is a decongestant, and ICAR Prenatal is a vitamin tablet. Medicaid data show the program paid $7.3 million for Carbofed products from 2004 to 2007; $146,000 for Hylira; $4.8 million for Andehist products, and $900,000 for ICAR. In actuality, these amounts of money are peanuts when examining how much is wasted by the government's Medicaid program. I am just thankful that someone is starting to look.
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