January 22, 2026 • 24 mins
How to Decrease Your Healthcare Costs in the Upcoming Year
Join Dr. Valda Crowder, a board-certified emergency medicine physician with 30 years of experience, as she tackles one of the most pressing issues facing Americans today: rising healthcare costs. In this episode, Dr. V answers listener questions about navigating emergency room visits, understanding hospital billing, avoiding surprise medical bills, and making smart decisions about when to seek urgent versus emergency care. She also discusses financial assistance programs for the uninsured and shares practical strategies to advocate for yourself in healthcare settings. Whether you're dealing with insurance challenges or trying to make sense of medical bills, this episode provides actionable advice to help you save money while getting the care you need.
Email your questions to info@askdrv.us
Produced by the nonprofit Channel of Health - informing, educating, and empowering communities about pressing health and healthcare issues.
Dr. Valda Crowder - https://www.askdrv.us/
Podcast Website - https://whatthehealthishappeningshow.com/
Podcast Producer - https://tophealth.care/
“Disclaimer: Informational only. Not medical advice. Consult your doctor for guidance.”
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SPEAKER_01 (00:12):
Hello.
This show is brought to you bythe Channel of Health, and this
is the show where you can beinformed and empowered about all
sorts of healthcare issues thatare important to you.
I'm your host, Dr.
Valda Crowder.
You can call me Dr.
V.
I've been a board certifiedemergency medicine physician.
I've treated patients acrossfour pandemics, one mass
shooting, and a category fourhurricane.
(00:33):
So rest assured you are in goodhands.
We've got a really big topictoday to cover.
And that is basically, you know,how can we decrease our health
care costs in the upcoming year?
You know, at the end of the CarlNelson show, they were talking
about uh the NFL.
Uh, there's a lot of NFL playerswho'll be retiring this year,
and they will also struggle inretirement um to actually figure
(00:56):
out how to get their healthinsurance.
The Obamacare subsidies will beexpiring, assuming that there's
nothing that occurs in Congressin the next uh 10 to 20 days.
That is gonna leave about 5million Americans uninsured this
year, and there'll be aboutthree to four million every year
after that that will become uhuninsured.
(01:18):
And the consequence of that isreally, really important because
for every 5 million people thatare uninsured, about 55,000
Americans die a year because ofthe lack of insurance.
Lastly, there may be some of youout there that have a New Year's
resolution related to health andwellness uh that you want to
(01:39):
actually uh see actualized uhthis year.
And so, you know, with all ofthis, I kind of wanted to talk
about how do you actuallydecrease your health care costs
in the upcoming year, and how doyou get the most bang for your
buck for the money that you dospend.
So the first thing that I wantedto start out talking about was,
you know, a health care costthat all of us experience, which
(02:02):
is prescription medications.
And, you know, at one time oranother, we've all had to go to
the pharmacy, pick up aprescription for either
ourselves or a family member ora friend, and sometimes been hit
with a surprise as far as howmuch the medication cost.
So I want to really talk aboutwhat sort of things are going on
uh to decrease health carecosts, and what sort of options
(02:24):
and things can you do when youhave this experience.
So, one of the things that Iwant to talk about is that the
Biden administration, beforethey left office, actually
passed a uh a law that allowedMedicare to negotiate uh
pricing.
And that negotiated pricing tookplace and started, became in
effect as of January 1st.
(02:46):
And what they did was theylooked at the 10 most common
drugs that are used uh primarilyby uh folks that are on
Medicare.
Um, and the drugs that theypicked are the following.
Uh they picked Eloquis, whichthins out your blood and
prevents blood clots, uh,Genuvia, Jardiance, and Farsiga,
all three of those medicationsare used for diabetes.
(03:10):
Uh they also looked at Zorelto,which also thins out your blood,
um, entresto, uh, which is usedfor heart failure, embril, which
is used for autoimmune diseases,uh, things like uh rheumatoid
arthritis, um, Stellara, whichis used for inflammatory
conditions, and then Novolog,which is uh you know a type of
(03:30):
uh insulin.
So these 10 medications, whatthey actually did was they
allowed Medicare to negotiatethe pricing.
Um, the discount um is 40 to 80percent on non-generic
medications.
So this is a very, verysignificant discount.
So this actually tells you howmuch we had actually been
(03:51):
overpaying for medications, thatthey could actually discount the
medications 40 to 80 percent,and I'm sure the pharmaceutical
companies are still makingmoney.
Um, this um is for Medicare, uh,people on Medicare.
However, usually what happens isthe commercial insurers will
also then actually say we wantthe same pricing as Medicare,
(04:11):
and normally it will follow thatthe um that the um Medic that
the commercial uh insurance willalso uh have the same rates.
Um the other thing that theBiden administration did before
they left is they decreased umout-of-pocket expenses for
Medicare and capped it at$2,100.
So the most you should have topay in 2026 is$2,100 for any
(04:35):
sort of uh medications if youare on Medicare.
So now what happened after theBiden administration?
So the Trump administrationactually decided to add 15 other
medications to that list of 10medications.
So these reductions in pricesare not going to occur until
(04:57):
next year, 2027.
So there will be a discount onuh Janumet, Ozempic, Rebelsis,
Rogovi, Trigenta, which are alldiabetes and weight management
drugs, uh Trilogy, which is forCOPD, Zitandi for prostate
cancer, uh Puma, which is formultiple myeloma, Caposi,
(05:20):
sarcoma, uh eyebrans for breastcancer, uh ovae for pulmonary
fibrosis, uh lenses forirritable bowel syndrome, uh
QLens for leukemia, osteto foruh Huntington's disease, uh Brio
ellipta, which is for asthmaCOPD, um, and also Vrailar for
(05:40):
bipolar and um schizophrenia,uh, and OTESLA which will be for
psoriasis andor psoriaticarthritis.
It is expected that thediscounts for these medications,
because of the negotiation withMedicare, will be similar in the
40 to 80 percent uh percentagerange.
(06:03):
So um significant reductionscoming up for those medications.
Um, I think that, you know,there are still people who are
on other medications and need toget some help.
And so we're gonna talk a littlebit about all of that.
What the health is happening,that's a real question.
And it's also the name of my newpodcast where you can literally
(06:23):
get life-changing advice.
What the health is happening iswhere I give you the inside
scoop on all healthcare matters,and it empowers you with
information on everything thatyou need to know about
healthcare and important medicalupdates.
What the health is happening isyour dose of medical reality
with myself, Dr.
V, and some of my friends fromthe front lines of healthcare.
(06:45):
It is a podcast.
If you don't know how toactually download a podcast, ask
a younger person in your family.
They'll show you immediately.
And you can download, subscribe,and comment.
All right, let's take somequestions that we have actually
had.
Um, I have a question fromJennifer uh in Bowie.
And Jennifer says, Um, I'veheard of commercials like Good
(07:06):
RX and people talk aboutcoupons.
Is this really a thing?
Um, does this really exist andhow do you actually get it?
So this is really important.
So if you actually go to pick upa medication or um and you go to
the pharmacy and it is higherthan what you thought, um, you
can actually um ask them for agood RX coupon.
(07:30):
The good RX coupons are usuallysitting right by the cash
register.
Um, and you can ask them what isthe good RX price.
The other thing is that themanufacturer of that particular
medication may also have acoupon.
So sometimes you can ask thepharmacist, are there any
coupons online for this?
(07:51):
Sometimes they'll stop and lookfor you, sometimes they'll tell
you, um, here's themanufacturer, the manufacturer
is, let's say, Merck or JohnsonJohnson.
You can uh take a look.
Um, those coupons are differentfor different people, like
they'll say this coupon is forsomeone who's on Medicare, this
coupon's for someone who'suninsured.
So you want to make sure you getthe coupon that's right for your
(08:14):
particular situation.
All right, we've got a call online one.
Carol?
Carol, can you hear me?
SPEAKER_03 (08:21):
Yes, I can't.
SPEAKER_01 (08:22):
Oh, Kashiba.
Can you hear me?
Yes, I can.
Kashiba, I'm sorry.
SPEAKER_05 (08:26):
Yes.
I have a question regarding, youknow, how to talk to your doctor
to some extent.
Well, I had uh I've got sense inmy heart.
SPEAKER_03 (08:36):
Okay.
SPEAKER_05 (08:37):
And um I have done some a little bit of research
and books about um cholesterolstudies.
Um my doctor is when I went backto him.
I guess my blood pressure waselevated and he was concerned
(08:59):
about my uh cholesterol.
But what I've been reading aboutis is that all that all that all
those statins have an effectupon you.
I've got some short-term memoryloss of been having that for
(09:22):
months now, taking all thesestatin drugs.
Um do you for your patients, doyou are there alternatives to
statin drugs?
No.
My doctor told me that no, thereweren't any alternatives, but
there has to be something otherthan um you know, increasing
(09:47):
blood pressure medicine andincreasing statin drugs too.
SPEAKER_01 (09:51):
Right.
Do you know what statin you'reon?
SPEAKER_05 (09:55):
Rosevastin um let's see how is it pronounced?
Roseovastatin.
Calcium.
SPEAKER_01 (10:02):
Yes, yes, okay.
Alrighty.
So a couple of things.
So when it comes to yourcholesterol and your cholesterol
being elevated, um there areit's the if the bad cholesterol
is elevated.
SPEAKER_05 (10:15):
My good cholesterol is is is um is is elevated too.
I mean it's so that makes it.
SPEAKER_01 (10:24):
So that means so it means you're so you have
basically um an elevation ofyour total cholesterol as well.
SPEAKER_05 (10:32):
Yes.
SPEAKER_01 (10:33):
Right.
SPEAKER_05 (10:34):
So um good cholesterol is is is is
elevated.
SPEAKER_01 (10:39):
Mm-hmm.
So you're so you're the so sowhen you talk about the good
cholesterol, that's your highdensity.
Yeah, that's your HDL.
That's the high densitylipoprotein.
So you you want that to beelevated.
SPEAKER_03 (10:56):
Yes.
SPEAKER_01 (10:56):
Right, okay, so so you have that that's elevated
and that's great.
So what you have is you have anelevation of your LDL, which is
the bad cholesterol.
SPEAKER_03 (11:07):
Yes.
SPEAKER_01 (11:08):
Okay.
Do you know whether or not yourtriglycerides are elevated?
SPEAKER_05 (11:13):
You know, I I don't know.
Well, he just was concernedabout the cholesterol.
SPEAKER_01 (11:19):
Right.
SPEAKER_05 (11:20):
Should I be asking him about my triglycerides?
SPEAKER_01 (11:22):
Yes.
Right.
So so let me tell you, one ofthe things that we're finding
out now, and I don't know, youknow, the age of your physician,
but I'm just telling you, one ofthe things that we're we used to
not think that triglycerideswere important.
And we have now found thattriglycerides are actually a
very important component alongwith your H HDL and LDL.
(11:45):
Um, and so I would ask abouttriglycerides, because if you
have an elevated triglyceridesand an elevated LDL, that may be
a different approach than if youjust had elevated LDL only.
Okay.
So ask about um uh ask about uhtriglycerides.
And I bet you he it's probablyon the it's probably on the
(12:08):
profile.
So one of the things that canactually make a difference
though, since we know you haveelevated LDL, one of the things
that can actually really make adifference are what we call like
soluble fibers.
So these are things like oats,barley, beans, lentils,
chickpeas.
(12:28):
These things actually reallymake a difference and can lower
your LDL by about you know,eight eight to fifteen percent.
SPEAKER_03 (12:38):
Beans.
SPEAKER_01 (12:39):
Beans, yes.
Any sort of what we call solublefiber.
So oats, barley, like somepeople have uh an oat or barley
cereal, right?
Then they have made they'll havebeans or lentils for um, you
know, as a soup or something.
Um chickpeas is basicallyhummus.
SPEAKER_05 (13:00):
Okay, I'll get some hummus.
SPEAKER_01 (13:02):
Right.
So those are things that canactually the other thing that
can really make a difference ishaving eating more fatty fish
with omega-3s.
So that's like salmon.
Omega three.
Yeah, or you can take anomega-3.
Did he you need it?
You should definitely be on anomega-3 supplement.
Are you on an omega-3supplement?
SPEAKER_05 (13:22):
Um, I'm on um is that uh D3?
SPEAKER_01 (13:26):
Is that no.
No, so so no, so vitamin D threeis completely different.
That is for your immune system.
So omega-3 is actually for yourum for your um for your heart
health.
So you get omega-3 from like um,you get D3, which you're taking,
(13:47):
that's from sunlight.
Omega-3 you get from salmon,sardines, those sorts of fish.
So they're they they recommendthat if you have an elevated
LDL, that you actually have twoa minimum of two servings of
that a week.
SPEAKER_05 (14:05):
Two servings per week.
SPEAKER_01 (14:07):
Two servings per week, yeah.
Right?
So those would be the thingsthat would actually really,
really make uh make adifference.
I'm gonna um what I can do is Iif you if you want to get a
really good omega 3, you canemail me at DRV at channel of
health.
SPEAKER_04 (14:26):
Slow down.
Yep.
D-R-V at channelofhealth.org.
SPEAKER_01 (14:32):
So D likeen David, channelofhealth.org.
SPEAKER_04 (14:36):
Wait a minute.
DRV as in the Dr.
SPEAKER_01 (14:40):
V.
SPEAKER_04 (14:41):
Victor.
SPEAKER_01 (14:41):
Yep, yep, D likeen David.
Yep, D like and David, R likeand Ralph, V like and vegetable.
Channel of health.org.
Yep, at channelofhealth.org, andI will get you a good omega 3.
Because you want a medical gradeomega three, because you already
have stents, and you you know,you know three stents.
(15:03):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_05 (15:05):
Is that the reason why I just have to have these
statin drugs?
SPEAKER_01 (15:08):
Yes, because because the the so so the next step
after stents is having to havebypass surgery.
SPEAKER_05 (15:14):
Oh, okay.
You don't want to, you know,that's like a whole but the only
alternative is the statins, eventhough they they're they're
talking about the statins causememory problems.
SPEAKER_01 (15:25):
No, I I just gave you the st the the now I'm not
saying don't get off of whatyour doctor told you to do.
Make the dietary changes first.
Okay?
Okay.
So so take those soluble fibersand the omega-3s, take that
first.
And then with the dietarychanges, your uh LDL should go
(15:45):
down by 10 or 15%, and then asit goes down, you're you can
consult with your physician, andthen he can slowly wean you off
of those statins.
But you have to make thedietary, you have to stay on the
prescription medication thathe's given you and make the
dietary changes while you're onit.
SPEAKER_05 (16:01):
Okay.
SPEAKER_01 (16:02):
Okay.
SPEAKER_05 (16:04):
Okay.
SPEAKER_01 (16:04):
All right.
All right, great, Kushiba.
SPEAKER_05 (16:07):
Well, thank you very much for your help.
SPEAKER_01 (16:09):
You're welcome.
You're welcome.
Send me an email, I'll make sureyou get a good omega-3.
SPEAKER_05 (16:13):
All right.
SPEAKER_01 (16:14):
All righty.
Next question is uh from Janice.
Um, and again, if you want tojoin us, it's 1-800-450-7876.
Next question is from Janice.
What is the most common reasonpeople go to the ER that could
actually be handled at an urgentcare or primary care office, and
how much money could you chooseby by choosing the right
(16:36):
setting?
So this is a really this is areally great question.
So, so so this is a thisdifficult to answer this
question because primary careoffices and urgent care centers
have different capabilities.
So I tell people if you'redealing with something that's
not emergent, so let's say um,you know, you you sprained your
(16:58):
ankle and or you know, youinjured your ankle, but you can
still walk, or a cut, orsomething, something along that
line that is that is relativelyminor.
If you're gonna go to an urgentcare center rather than an
emergency department, then youneed to ask them do you can you
guys handle?
I fell and I cut my finger.
Do you have the ability to dostitches?
Do you have the ability to do uhx-rays?
(17:21):
Different urgent care centershave different capabilities.
When you look at something like,and I'm just gonna use an
example, there's various uhCVS's minute clinics, they will
have very, very lowcapabilities.
So they almost are neveroutfitted with um, they almost
never outfitted with x-ray,x-ray machines and usually are
(17:41):
not staffed by folks that canactually suit your lacerations.
Then you go to other urgent carecenters and they have um all of
that capability.
So you kind of have to know, um,you kind of have to ask ahead of
time if you're dealing withsomething that is emergent.
Now, the other thing abouturgent care centers is they are
going to collect the copay upfront.
(18:03):
They do not have an obligationto see you no matter how much
money you have.
The emergency department, wehave an obligation to see you,
we do not collect any uh anymoney up front.
So a lot of people will go tothe emergency department because
they may not have the moneyright then and there.
And so um they'll get a biggerbill later, um, but they don't
have to pay up front.
(18:23):
Um, I will say this a lot of alot of things that people
mistakenly go to urgent caresfor.
If you are on a blood thinnerand you fall and hit your head,
you absolutely need to go to theemergency department.
So I see a lot of people who goto urgent cares rather than
going to the emergencydepartment, and the urgent care
will immediately send you over.
(18:43):
So if you fall and hit your headand you're on a blood thinner,
um you need to go on to uh theemergency department.
One of the most preventablethings that I see in the
emergency department, if peopleare looking at decreasing their
health care costs in the future,I always say, you know, one of
the main things is don't getsick, right?
So that's easier said than done.
(19:05):
So, so but um what I actuallysee a lot of people do that is
preventable are falls.
So, you know, you really want tolook at, you know, especially at
night, um people get up, go tothe bathroom, they've got
something in the way, they'vegot a rug that they trip on,
they've got, I don't know,clothes or hangers that they
haven't put up.
(19:25):
So just make sure at night whenyou go to bed that you know you
can get up and get to thebathroom and traverse um uh
cleanly to the emergency to thebathroom and back.
Um it really does make adifference.
A night light where people canactually, you know, where you
can actually see.
So falls are a big way toactually that a lot of people
come to the emergencydepartment, um, that they're
(19:46):
just moving too fast.
Um they should be using a caneor should be using a walker and
don't want to use a cane anddon't want to use a walker.
Things like that often lead tosome un some some emergency
department visits that actuallyuh uh could be prevented.
All right.
I've got a question here fromMike, and Mike said, What is
(20:06):
your advice for uninsured orunderinsured patients who need
emergency care?
Are there financial assistanceprograms that they should know
about before or right aftertheir ER visit?
So this is really this is reallyimportant.
So a couple of things.
One is that when you have anemergency, you should just go to
the emergency department and getthe care that you need because
(20:27):
your health is the mostimportant thing.
You cannot pay any bills or dealwith anything if you are
disabled or having any sort of aproblem.
Most hospitals have a financialassistance program and you can
ask about it, and they willoften give you an application so
that you can actually apply andsee if you actually qualify.
(20:48):
When you actually do qualify,many of those programs will
apply not only to your emergencydepartment visit, but for other
things that you need movingforward in the future.
Um, and so there are assistanceprograms that are only for that
visit, and there are assistantprograms that actually apply
moving forward.
The other thing is let's sayyou're out here and you already
(21:10):
have a hospital bill, you didn'tapply for the assistance, and
they've been hounding you.
You want to actually call themand actually either try to get a
discount, like, okay, I'll paythis, but I need a 30% discount.
Um, I can pay this bill, but Ican only pay$100 a month.
You can negotiate with thehospital.
(21:31):
So don't be scared aboutnegotiating with the hospital.
The other thing is you cannegotiate with your physician.
Um, I know I had a situationwhere my dental insurance got
changed.
I didn't realize it got changed,so I wound up having this bill.
I negotiated, hey, I'll pay you,you know, 60 cents on a dollar
and just got got it got it gone.
And so there are things that youcan actually do like that.
(21:54):
It's also very important whenyou go to see your physician
that you let them know that youare struggling or Or uninsured.
And so if they give you aprescription, you can ask them,
is this prescription somethingthat is going to cost a lot or
is there something that is lowerpriced?
Is this can I actually get thisprescription filled as a
generic?
(22:14):
Um and so you want to make sureto um you want to make sure to
ask those questions.
All right, I've got a questionfrom Cynthia.
Uh it says, Why would theRepublicans want to push so many
people off health care when it'sgoing to impact their
constituents too?
Who is benefiting from thesechanges?
Oh, that's really simple.
Um all of this is occurring sothat we can provide tax breaks.
(22:39):
Um tax tax breaks.
This is all of this is occurringso that we have more money for
tax breaks that are reallybenefiting more of the wealthy
than anyone else.
Um I would also say um a lot ofthis a lot of this is occurring
um also so we have money for ourmilitary.
So, you know, at the end of theday, we have to really look at
(23:00):
um requiring our administrationto actually value people.
All right, we got a one call onone on line one.
Do we have enough time to takeit?
Okay.
I give you contact information.
It's DRV, like David RalphVictory, DRV at
channelofhealth.org.
(23:22):
Um, you can reach out to me.
We also have a oral uh we alsohave an oral GLP one and medical
grade supplements and anythingthat you really need.
So just email me, tell you, tellme what you need, and I'll help
you get it.
All right, I want to thank youguys today.
I hope that this show has beenreally helpful.
I want people to know thatmoving into the new year, you do
not have to be straddled withvery high health care costs.
(23:44):
There are things you can do.
And the mission of the Channelof Health is to educate, inform,
and empower all communitiesabout pressing healthcare
issues.
I want to thank you for joiningme today.
Make sure to email me, and wewill be back here next week.
SPEAKER_00 (23:59):
Same time, same place, the following program is
paid for by Channel of Health.
The NS Doctor V Show is foreducational purposes only.
(24:22):
Please consult your doctorbefore starting any new
treatment.
SPEAKER_04 (24:26):
The views and opinions expressed in this
program are those of the hostsand guests and do not
necessarily reflect the views ofUrban One Incorporated, Radio
One, or any of its subsidiarycompanies.
Hello.
This show is brought to you bythe Channel of Health, and this
is the show where you can beinformed and empowered about all
sorts of healthcare issues thatare important to you.
I'm your host, Dr.
Valda Crowder.
You can call me Dr.
V.
I've been a board certifiedemergency medicine physician.
I've treated patients acrossfour pandemics, one mass
shooting, and a category fourhurricane.
(00:33):
So rest assured you are in goodhands.
We've got a really big topictoday to cover.
And that is basically, you know,how can we decrease our health
care costs in the upcoming year?
You know, at the end of the CarlNelson show, they were talking
about uh the NFL.
Uh, there's a lot of NFL playerswho'll be retiring this year,
and they will also struggle inretirement um to actually figure
(00:56):
out how to get their healthinsurance.
The Obamacare subsidies will beexpiring, assuming that there's
nothing that occurs in Congressin the next uh 10 to 20 days.
That is gonna leave about 5million Americans uninsured this
year, and there'll be aboutthree to four million every year
after that that will become uhuninsured.
(01:18):
And the consequence of that isreally, really important because
for every 5 million people thatare uninsured, about 55,000
Americans die a year because ofthe lack of insurance.
Lastly, there may be some of youout there that have a New Year's
resolution related to health andwellness uh that you want to
(01:39):
actually uh see actualized uhthis year.
And so, you know, with all ofthis, I kind of wanted to talk
about how do you actuallydecrease your health care costs
in the upcoming year, and how doyou get the most bang for your
buck for the money that you dospend.
So the first thing that I wantedto start out talking about was,
you know, a health care costthat all of us experience, which
(02:02):
is prescription medications.
And, you know, at one time oranother, we've all had to go to
the pharmacy, pick up aprescription for either
ourselves or a family member ora friend, and sometimes been hit
with a surprise as far as howmuch the medication cost.
So I want to really talk aboutwhat sort of things are going on
uh to decrease health carecosts, and what sort of options
(02:24):
and things can you do when youhave this experience.
So, one of the things that Iwant to talk about is that the
Biden administration, beforethey left office, actually
passed a uh a law that allowedMedicare to negotiate uh
pricing.
And that negotiated pricing tookplace and started, became in
effect as of January 1st.
(02:46):
And what they did was theylooked at the 10 most common
drugs that are used uh primarilyby uh folks that are on
Medicare.
Um, and the drugs that theypicked are the following.
Uh they picked Eloquis, whichthins out your blood and
prevents blood clots, uh,Genuvia, Jardiance, and Farsiga,
all three of those medicationsare used for diabetes.
(03:10):
Uh they also looked at Zorelto,which also thins out your blood,
um, entresto, uh, which is usedfor heart failure, embril, which
is used for autoimmune diseases,uh, things like uh rheumatoid
arthritis, um, Stellara, whichis used for inflammatory
conditions, and then Novolog,which is uh you know a type of
(03:30):
uh insulin.
So these 10 medications, whatthey actually did was they
allowed Medicare to negotiatethe pricing.
Um, the discount um is 40 to 80percent on non-generic
medications.
So this is a very, verysignificant discount.
So this actually tells you howmuch we had actually been
(03:51):
overpaying for medications, thatthey could actually discount the
medications 40 to 80 percent,and I'm sure the pharmaceutical
companies are still makingmoney.
Um, this um is for Medicare, uh,people on Medicare.
However, usually what happens isthe commercial insurers will
also then actually say we wantthe same pricing as Medicare,
(04:11):
and normally it will follow thatthe um that the um Medic that
the commercial uh insurance willalso uh have the same rates.
Um the other thing that theBiden administration did before
they left is they decreased umout-of-pocket expenses for
Medicare and capped it at$2,100.
So the most you should have topay in 2026 is$2,100 for any
(04:35):
sort of uh medications if youare on Medicare.
So now what happened after theBiden administration?
So the Trump administrationactually decided to add 15 other
medications to that list of 10medications.
So these reductions in pricesare not going to occur until
(04:57):
next year, 2027.
So there will be a discount onuh Janumet, Ozempic, Rebelsis,
Rogovi, Trigenta, which are alldiabetes and weight management
drugs, uh Trilogy, which is forCOPD, Zitandi for prostate
cancer, uh Puma, which is formultiple myeloma, Caposi,
(05:20):
sarcoma, uh eyebrans for breastcancer, uh ovae for pulmonary
fibrosis, uh lenses forirritable bowel syndrome, uh
QLens for leukemia, osteto foruh Huntington's disease, uh Brio
ellipta, which is for asthmaCOPD, um, and also Vrailar for
(05:40):
bipolar and um schizophrenia,uh, and OTESLA which will be for
psoriasis andor psoriaticarthritis.
It is expected that thediscounts for these medications,
because of the negotiation withMedicare, will be similar in the
40 to 80 percent uh percentagerange.
(06:03):
So um significant reductionscoming up for those medications.
Um, I think that, you know,there are still people who are
on other medications and need toget some help.
And so we're gonna talk a littlebit about all of that.
What the health is happening,that's a real question.
And it's also the name of my newpodcast where you can literally
(06:23):
get life-changing advice.
What the health is happening iswhere I give you the inside
scoop on all healthcare matters,and it empowers you with
information on everything thatyou need to know about
healthcare and important medicalupdates.
What the health is happening isyour dose of medical reality
with myself, Dr.
V, and some of my friends fromthe front lines of healthcare.
(06:45):
It is a podcast.
If you don't know how toactually download a podcast, ask
a younger person in your family.
They'll show you immediately.
And you can download, subscribe,and comment.
All right, let's take somequestions that we have actually
had.
Um, I have a question fromJennifer uh in Bowie.
And Jennifer says, Um, I'veheard of commercials like Good
(07:06):
RX and people talk aboutcoupons.
Is this really a thing?
Um, does this really exist andhow do you actually get it?
So this is really important.
So if you actually go to pick upa medication or um and you go to
the pharmacy and it is higherthan what you thought, um, you
can actually um ask them for agood RX coupon.
(07:30):
The good RX coupons are usuallysitting right by the cash
register.
Um, and you can ask them what isthe good RX price.
The other thing is that themanufacturer of that particular
medication may also have acoupon.
So sometimes you can ask thepharmacist, are there any
coupons online for this?
(07:51):
Sometimes they'll stop and lookfor you, sometimes they'll tell
you, um, here's themanufacturer, the manufacturer
is, let's say, Merck or JohnsonJohnson.
You can uh take a look.
Um, those coupons are differentfor different people, like
they'll say this coupon is forsomeone who's on Medicare, this
coupon's for someone who'suninsured.
So you want to make sure you getthe coupon that's right for your
(08:14):
particular situation.
All right, we've got a call online one.
Carol?
Carol, can you hear me?
SPEAKER_03 (08:21):
Yes, I can't.
SPEAKER_01 (08:22):
Oh, Kashiba.
Can you hear me?
Yes, I can.
Kashiba, I'm sorry.
SPEAKER_05 (08:26):
Yes.
I have a question regarding, youknow, how to talk to your doctor
to some extent.
Well, I had uh I've got sense inmy heart.
SPEAKER_03 (08:36):
Okay.
SPEAKER_05 (08:37):
And um I have done some a little bit of research
and books about um cholesterolstudies.
Um my doctor is when I went backto him.
I guess my blood pressure waselevated and he was concerned
(08:59):
about my uh cholesterol.
But what I've been reading aboutis is that all that all that all
those statins have an effectupon you.
I've got some short-term memoryloss of been having that for
(09:22):
months now, taking all thesestatin drugs.
Um do you for your patients, doyou are there alternatives to
statin drugs?
No.
My doctor told me that no, thereweren't any alternatives, but
there has to be something otherthan um you know, increasing
(09:47):
blood pressure medicine andincreasing statin drugs too.
SPEAKER_01 (09:51):
Right.
Do you know what statin you'reon?
SPEAKER_05 (09:55):
Rosevastin um let's see how is it pronounced?
Roseovastatin.
Calcium.
SPEAKER_01 (10:02):
Yes, yes, okay.
Alrighty.
So a couple of things.
So when it comes to yourcholesterol and your cholesterol
being elevated, um there areit's the if the bad cholesterol
is elevated.
SPEAKER_05 (10:15):
My good cholesterol is is is um is is elevated too.
I mean it's so that makes it.
SPEAKER_01 (10:24):
So that means so it means you're so you have
basically um an elevation ofyour total cholesterol as well.
SPEAKER_05 (10:32):
Yes.
SPEAKER_01 (10:33):
Right.
SPEAKER_05 (10:34):
So um good cholesterol is is is is
elevated.
SPEAKER_01 (10:39):
Mm-hmm.
So you're so you're the so sowhen you talk about the good
cholesterol, that's your highdensity.
Yeah, that's your HDL.
That's the high densitylipoprotein.
So you you want that to beelevated.
SPEAKER_03 (10:56):
Yes.
SPEAKER_01 (10:56):
Right, okay, so so you have that that's elevated
and that's great.
So what you have is you have anelevation of your LDL, which is
the bad cholesterol.
SPEAKER_03 (11:07):
Yes.
SPEAKER_01 (11:08):
Okay.
Do you know whether or not yourtriglycerides are elevated?
SPEAKER_05 (11:13):
You know, I I don't know.
Well, he just was concernedabout the cholesterol.
SPEAKER_01 (11:19):
Right.
SPEAKER_05 (11:20):
Should I be asking him about my triglycerides?
SPEAKER_01 (11:22):
Yes.
Right.
So so let me tell you, one ofthe things that we're finding
out now, and I don't know, youknow, the age of your physician,
but I'm just telling you, one ofthe things that we're we used to
not think that triglycerideswere important.
And we have now found thattriglycerides are actually a
very important component alongwith your H HDL and LDL.
(11:45):
Um, and so I would ask abouttriglycerides, because if you
have an elevated triglyceridesand an elevated LDL, that may be
a different approach than if youjust had elevated LDL only.
Okay.
So ask about um uh ask about uhtriglycerides.
And I bet you he it's probablyon the it's probably on the
(12:08):
profile.
So one of the things that canactually make a difference
though, since we know you haveelevated LDL, one of the things
that can actually really make adifference are what we call like
soluble fibers.
So these are things like oats,barley, beans, lentils,
chickpeas.
(12:28):
These things actually reallymake a difference and can lower
your LDL by about you know,eight eight to fifteen percent.
SPEAKER_03 (12:38):
Beans.
SPEAKER_01 (12:39):
Beans, yes.
Any sort of what we call solublefiber.
So oats, barley, like somepeople have uh an oat or barley
cereal, right?
Then they have made they'll havebeans or lentils for um, you
know, as a soup or something.
Um chickpeas is basicallyhummus.
SPEAKER_05 (13:00):
Okay, I'll get some hummus.
SPEAKER_01 (13:02):
Right.
So those are things that canactually the other thing that
can really make a difference ishaving eating more fatty fish
with omega-3s.
So that's like salmon.
Omega three.
Yeah, or you can take anomega-3.
Did he you need it?
You should definitely be on anomega-3 supplement.
Are you on an omega-3supplement?
SPEAKER_05 (13:22):
Um, I'm on um is that uh D3?
SPEAKER_01 (13:26):
Is that no.
No, so so no, so vitamin D threeis completely different.
That is for your immune system.
So omega-3 is actually for yourum for your um for your heart
health.
So you get omega-3 from like um,you get D3, which you're taking,
(13:47):
that's from sunlight.
Omega-3 you get from salmon,sardines, those sorts of fish.
So they're they they recommendthat if you have an elevated
LDL, that you actually have twoa minimum of two servings of
that a week.
SPEAKER_05 (14:05):
Two servings per week.
SPEAKER_01 (14:07):
Two servings per week, yeah.
Right?
So those would be the thingsthat would actually really,
really make uh make adifference.
I'm gonna um what I can do is Iif you if you want to get a
really good omega 3, you canemail me at DRV at channel of
health.
SPEAKER_04 (14:26):
Slow down.
Yep.
D-R-V at channelofhealth.org.
SPEAKER_01 (14:32):
So D likeen David, channelofhealth.org.
SPEAKER_04 (14:36):
Wait a minute.
DRV as in the Dr.
SPEAKER_01 (14:40):
V.
SPEAKER_04 (14:41):
Victor.
SPEAKER_01 (14:41):
Yep, yep, D likeen David.
Yep, D like and David, R likeand Ralph, V like and vegetable.
Channel of health.org.
Yep, at channelofhealth.org, andI will get you a good omega 3.
Because you want a medical gradeomega three, because you already
have stents, and you you know,you know three stents.
(15:03):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_05 (15:05):
Is that the reason why I just have to have these
statin drugs?
SPEAKER_01 (15:08):
Yes, because because the the so so the next step
after stents is having to havebypass surgery.
SPEAKER_05 (15:14):
Oh, okay.
You don't want to, you know,that's like a whole but the only
alternative is the statins, eventhough they they're they're
talking about the statins causememory problems.
SPEAKER_01 (15:25):
No, I I just gave you the st the the now I'm not
saying don't get off of whatyour doctor told you to do.
Make the dietary changes first.
Okay?
Okay.
So so take those soluble fibersand the omega-3s, take that
first.
And then with the dietarychanges, your uh LDL should go
(15:45):
down by 10 or 15%, and then asit goes down, you're you can
consult with your physician, andthen he can slowly wean you off
of those statins.
But you have to make thedietary, you have to stay on the
prescription medication thathe's given you and make the
dietary changes while you're onit.
SPEAKER_05 (16:01):
Okay.
SPEAKER_01 (16:02):
Okay.
SPEAKER_05 (16:04):
Okay.
SPEAKER_01 (16:04):
All right.
All right, great, Kushiba.
SPEAKER_05 (16:07):
Well, thank you very much for your help.
SPEAKER_01 (16:09):
You're welcome.
You're welcome.
Send me an email, I'll make sureyou get a good omega-3.
SPEAKER_05 (16:13):
All right.
SPEAKER_01 (16:14):
All righty.
Next question is uh from Janice.
Um, and again, if you want tojoin us, it's 1-800-450-7876.
Next question is from Janice.
What is the most common reasonpeople go to the ER that could
actually be handled at an urgentcare or primary care office, and
how much money could you chooseby by choosing the right
(16:36):
setting?
So this is a really this is areally great question.
So, so so this is a thisdifficult to answer this
question because primary careoffices and urgent care centers
have different capabilities.
So I tell people if you'redealing with something that's
not emergent, so let's say um,you know, you you sprained your
(16:58):
ankle and or you know, youinjured your ankle, but you can
still walk, or a cut, orsomething, something along that
line that is that is relativelyminor.
If you're gonna go to an urgentcare center rather than an
emergency department, then youneed to ask them do you can you
guys handle?
I fell and I cut my finger.
Do you have the ability to dostitches?
Do you have the ability to do uhx-rays?
(17:21):
Different urgent care centershave different capabilities.
When you look at something like,and I'm just gonna use an
example, there's various uhCVS's minute clinics, they will
have very, very lowcapabilities.
So they almost are neveroutfitted with um, they almost
never outfitted with x-ray,x-ray machines and usually are
(17:41):
not staffed by folks that canactually suit your lacerations.
Then you go to other urgent carecenters and they have um all of
that capability.
So you kind of have to know, um,you kind of have to ask ahead of
time if you're dealing withsomething that is emergent.
Now, the other thing abouturgent care centers is they are
going to collect the copay upfront.
(18:03):
They do not have an obligationto see you no matter how much
money you have.
The emergency department, wehave an obligation to see you,
we do not collect any uh anymoney up front.
So a lot of people will go tothe emergency department because
they may not have the moneyright then and there.
And so um they'll get a biggerbill later, um, but they don't
have to pay up front.
(18:23):
Um, I will say this a lot of alot of things that people
mistakenly go to urgent caresfor.
If you are on a blood thinnerand you fall and hit your head,
you absolutely need to go to theemergency department.
So I see a lot of people who goto urgent cares rather than
going to the emergencydepartment, and the urgent care
will immediately send you over.
(18:43):
So if you fall and hit your headand you're on a blood thinner,
um you need to go on to uh theemergency department.
One of the most preventablethings that I see in the
emergency department, if peopleare looking at decreasing their
health care costs in the future,I always say, you know, one of
the main things is don't getsick, right?
So that's easier said than done.
(19:05):
So, so but um what I actuallysee a lot of people do that is
preventable are falls.
So, you know, you really want tolook at, you know, especially at
night, um people get up, go tothe bathroom, they've got
something in the way, they'vegot a rug that they trip on,
they've got, I don't know,clothes or hangers that they
haven't put up.
(19:25):
So just make sure at night whenyou go to bed that you know you
can get up and get to thebathroom and traverse um uh
cleanly to the emergency to thebathroom and back.
Um it really does make adifference.
A night light where people canactually, you know, where you
can actually see.
So falls are a big way toactually that a lot of people
come to the emergencydepartment, um, that they're
(19:46):
just moving too fast.
Um they should be using a caneor should be using a walker and
don't want to use a cane anddon't want to use a walker.
Things like that often lead tosome un some some emergency
department visits that actuallyuh uh could be prevented.
All right.
I've got a question here fromMike, and Mike said, What is
(20:06):
your advice for uninsured orunderinsured patients who need
emergency care?
Are there financial assistanceprograms that they should know
about before or right aftertheir ER visit?
So this is really this is reallyimportant.
So a couple of things.
One is that when you have anemergency, you should just go to
the emergency department and getthe care that you need because
(20:27):
your health is the mostimportant thing.
You cannot pay any bills or dealwith anything if you are
disabled or having any sort of aproblem.
Most hospitals have a financialassistance program and you can
ask about it, and they willoften give you an application so
that you can actually apply andsee if you actually qualify.
(20:48):
When you actually do qualify,many of those programs will
apply not only to your emergencydepartment visit, but for other
things that you need movingforward in the future.
Um, and so there are assistanceprograms that are only for that
visit, and there are assistantprograms that actually apply
moving forward.
The other thing is let's sayyou're out here and you already
(21:10):
have a hospital bill, you didn'tapply for the assistance, and
they've been hounding you.
You want to actually call themand actually either try to get a
discount, like, okay, I'll paythis, but I need a 30% discount.
Um, I can pay this bill, but Ican only pay$100 a month.
You can negotiate with thehospital.
(21:31):
So don't be scared aboutnegotiating with the hospital.
The other thing is you cannegotiate with your physician.
Um, I know I had a situationwhere my dental insurance got
changed.
I didn't realize it got changed,so I wound up having this bill.
I negotiated, hey, I'll pay you,you know, 60 cents on a dollar
and just got got it got it gone.
And so there are things that youcan actually do like that.
(21:54):
It's also very important whenyou go to see your physician
that you let them know that youare struggling or Or uninsured.
And so if they give you aprescription, you can ask them,
is this prescription somethingthat is going to cost a lot or
is there something that is lowerpriced?
Is this can I actually get thisprescription filled as a
generic?
(22:14):
Um and so you want to make sureto um you want to make sure to
ask those questions.
All right, I've got a questionfrom Cynthia.
Uh it says, Why would theRepublicans want to push so many
people off health care when it'sgoing to impact their
constituents too?
Who is benefiting from thesechanges?
Oh, that's really simple.
Um all of this is occurring sothat we can provide tax breaks.
(22:39):
Um tax tax breaks.
This is all of this is occurringso that we have more money for
tax breaks that are reallybenefiting more of the wealthy
than anyone else.
Um I would also say um a lot ofthis a lot of this is occurring
um also so we have money for ourmilitary.
So, you know, at the end of theday, we have to really look at
(23:00):
um requiring our administrationto actually value people.
All right, we got a one call onone on line one.
Do we have enough time to takeit?
Okay.
I give you contact information.
It's DRV, like David RalphVictory, DRV at
channelofhealth.org.
(23:22):
Um, you can reach out to me.
We also have a oral uh we alsohave an oral GLP one and medical
grade supplements and anythingthat you really need.
So just email me, tell you, tellme what you need, and I'll help
you get it.
All right, I want to thank youguys today.
I hope that this show has beenreally helpful.
I want people to know thatmoving into the new year, you do
not have to be straddled withvery high health care costs.
(23:44):
There are things you can do.
And the mission of the Channelof Health is to educate, inform,
and empower all communitiesabout pressing healthcare
issues.
I want to thank you for joiningme today.
Make sure to email me, and wewill be back here next week.
SPEAKER_00 (23:59):
Same time, same place, the following program is
paid for by Channel of Health.
The NS Doctor V Show is foreducational purposes only.
(24:22):
Please consult your doctorbefore starting any new
treatment.
SPEAKER_04 (24:26):
The views and opinions expressed in this
program are those of the hostsand guests and do not
necessarily reflect the views ofUrban One Incorporated, Radio
One, or any of its subsidiarycompanies.
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