Coast2Coast Rx Card Saves Californians Millions on Their Prescription Costs

Ponte Vedra , FL (PRWEB) November 21, 2011

Coast2Coast Rx card announced today that the discount prescription card program has saved California consumers more than $ 22 million since its inception in the Golden State in 2008. Beginning with the adoption of the card in Ventura, the program has grown steadily to encompass 17 counties including the recently added Stanislaus County.

The Coast2Coast Rx card ? a dynamic program with a host of benefits to consumers and the counties where they reside ? saves individuals and families up to 75 percent on prescription costs and generates $ 1.25 per prescription filled for participating counties? public programs. An increasing number of county officials are recognizing the card?s value to constituents and its ability to serve as a source of revenue ? and with the California State Association of Counties recent endorsement, the program is growing at record rates.

?Adopting the Coast2Coast Rx card was an easy decision; as elected officials, our job includes serving our constituents by looking out for their interests and providing valuable public programs and services,? said Alameda County Supervisor Scott Haggerty. ?In the face of shrinking budgets and rising expenses, the Coast2Coast program helps us accomplish both of these objectives.?

The benefits of theCoast2Coast Rx card program, its ease of use and the positive impact it has on participating communities, are making it the prescription discount card of choice. Offered at no cost and without eligibility restrictions to consumers, anyone can use the card to receive savings of up to 75 percent on over 60,000 brand name and generic drugs. Also available are discounts on certain dental, vision, hearing, lab services, diabetes supplies, and even some pet prescriptions. With no paper work to fill out, no required membership and no expiration date, the card is a simple way to save on health care expenses and can be a significant cost-saver for those without health insurance or those who are underinsured. It can be effective also for those with insurance who have high deductibles or prescriptions that are not covered under their current plan. In some instances the card can be used to offset the Medicare Part D ?donut hole.?

?Getting the card to as many people as possible will benefit not only their household budgets and health outcomes but also their communities,? said Chief Marketing Officer Marty Dettelbach of Financial Marketing Concepts, Inc., the company that provides the discount prescription card. ?The numbers speak for themselves ? California consumers saved more than $ 22 million during the infancy of the program; imagine what is possible as more counties and their constituents adopt the card.?

About Coast2Coast Rx Card

The mission of the Coast2Coast Rx Card is to provide a universe of prescription savings options while improving health outcomes. The Coast2Coast Rx Card has provided millions of dollars in savings on prescription drugs for its program members. A product of Financial Marketing Concepts, Inc., a Florida corporation (?FMC?), that is a leader in the supplemental benefits field, the Coast2Coast Rx Card was developed as a result of the belief that the cost of products and services has risen so drastically that a need has arisen among many families to supplement these costs with benefit programs and prescription cards. For more information please visit http://www.coast2coastrx.com/.

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Blue Ribbon Advisory Panel Chaired by Service Foods CEO Distributes Report Outlining Recommendations for Lowering Healthcare Costs to Legislators

(PRWEB) January 03, 2012

The Blue Ribbon Advisory Panel, formed by Service Foods CEO Dr. Keith Kantor, has issued a report outlining easy, straight-forward recommendations to save billions of dollars and repair the American healthcare system.

The Blue Ribbon Advisory Panel Report has been distributed to numerous legislators, including Congressman Rob Woodall (R-GA), Congressman Hank Johnson (D-GA), Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA) and Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-GA). The report has also been distributed to former Massachusetts Governor and leading Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and his staff.

?The panel has taken a very close look at every aspect of our failing healthcare system and uncovered a number of common-sense savings that will greatly benefit all Americans and the system as a whole. We are confident our recommendations can be easily followed and implemented, thus saving billions of dollars,? said Dr. Keith Kantor. Kantor, who holds a Ph.D. in Nutritional Science, is a well-known expert in all natural foods, supplementation and healthy living, as well as the chair of the advisory panel.

The Blue Ribbon Advisory Panel consists of the following experts and advisors:

Dave Baugher, D.C., a chiropractor with more than 25 years experience. Baugher is considered a natural health expert by his peers and community, and he also serves as a designated doctor for the Texas Workers? Compensation Commission.

Kelvin Brown, M.D., M.P.H., CEO of Vital Healthcare Group and Precision Weight Loss Center. As an experienced physician and public health expert with more than 20 years experience, Brown is a leader in the digitalization of medical records, weight management, and health and wellness.

Keith Kantor, Ph.D., CEO of Service Foods. As an expert in all natural foods, supplementation and healthy living with more than 25 years experience, Kantor has been dedicated to nutritional awareness and alleviating the healthcare crisis in America.

Mike Labanowski, M.D., owner of Southern Sleep Clinics and a leading sleep disorder expert. Labanowski is also a practicing neurologist and the author of several books and journal articles.

Terry Lemons, D.D.S., owner of Lemons Dental Esthetics in Suwanee, Ga. Lemons has been a practicing dentist for more than 20 years and is an advocate of natural healthcare to help reduce gum disease and the serious health issues it may cause, such as heart attacks and strokes.

Jennifer Scully, R.N., President/CEO of Clinical Resources, the largest female-owned medical placement company in the United States. Beyond leading the award-winning company, Scully also holds board positions with American Red Cross Blood Services and Women Impacting Public Policy.

Michael Skaliy, M.D., owner of Atlanta Spine Specialists and a leading pain management expert. Prior to entering into private practice, Skaliy served as the Chairman of Anesthesiology and Pain Management for the Georgia Baptist Medical Center for ten years.

Tom Williams, Chairman/CEO of the All Natural Food Council of North America (ANFCNA) and Chairman/CEO of Guaranteed Foods of Lenexa, Kan. Williams has been a natural food manufacturing expert for more than 40 years.

Joe Moore, president of the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA), the fitness industry?s only global trade association. Moore will be advising the panel and making the organization?s vast archive of papers and clinical studies available, though the IHRSA has a policy that prohibits its officers from appearing on any panel that appears to favor a particular candidate.

Cara Welch, Ph.D., VP of the Natural Products Association (NPA). Welch has agreed to advise the panel and make the NPA?s vast library of scientific papers and clinical studies available to the panel. The NPA policy states that its officers cannot be on any panel that could be construed as favoring or endorsing a particular candidate.

The report was prepared using robust information, statistics and medical studies provided by the ANFCNA, NPA, IHRSA and the panel members themselves. The recommendations within the report span from implementing nutrition education in grades 1-12 and medical schools and making changes to farm subsidies to overhauling healthcare insurance, promoting the digitalization of all medical records and encouraging all natural food and proper dietary supplementation.

Cost savings resulting from the panel?s recommendations are detailed and confirmed by numerous studies cited in the report. For example, switching to digital medical records that include the breakdown of foods and supplements would save $ 2.7 billion per year through efficiency, reduced mistakes, better diagnoses and improved treatments, according the the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The report also provides data illustrating that eliminating sugar subsidies would save more than $ 1 billion per year in direct costs, as well as huge sums by reducing obesity and diabetes.

Furthermore, through changes in the education system, using more natural products, supplementation, preventative care and exercise while lowering the use of additives, preservatives, dyes, sugar and salt, the panel estimates the overall cancer rate will be reduced by 7 percent over five years and 12 percent over ten years. This will save $ 8.72 billion per year after five years and $ 14.95 billion per year after ten years. In total, the savings identified in the Blue Ribbon Advisory Panel Report amount to $ 253.85 billion per year within five years, or $ 332.5 billion per year within ten years.

About Service Foods

Service Foods offers a full line of all natural foods free from growth hormones, preservatives, steroids, antibiotics and colorings. The company provides free delivery directly to customers? homes. In addition, dietitians, nurses, doctors, dentists and fitness experts are on staff to counsel clients in leading a healthier lifestyle. Service Foods has been in business since 1981 and is based in Atlanta, Georgia, with warehouses in several states. To learn more about Service Foods, Inc., visit http://www.ServiceFoods.com.

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IF Technologies Reveals Disparities in Healthcare Costs In US Cities Showing 400% And Up Variances For the Same Procedure From Its Internal Analytics of HealtheReports

Lexington, KY (PRWEB) January 11, 2012

According to internal analytics for the year 2011, IF Technologies has determined that a consistent 400% or more price variance is typical amongst network providers for top routine surgical procedures across the US.

?We consistently see a 400% price variance among in network providers for a colonoscopy and laparoscopic gallbladder removal, for example. And, for some procedures, the numbers are even more eye-opening. Our internal analytics consistently reveal a 530% price variance on allowable costs for an MRI of the lower extremity among in- network providers for example. This variance is on the actual allowable, what was really paid to providers, and directly impacts the claims cost of the health plan and the out of pocket costs for the members,? said IF Technologies CEO Jim Freedman.

Growing demand for pricing transparency by consumers has made a market for IF Technologies to implement its flagship product, HealtheReports, with health plans across the nation. ?HealtheReports empowers members with this pricing information allowing them to make an informed decision,? said Freedman. IF Technologies through HealtheReports allows members to compare in-network healthcare providers on price, quality, and the experience of others for common procedures. This software as a service solution gives consumers critical information specific to their health plan whether a PPO or insurance carrier. Healthcare costs continue to spiral upward and health plans are shifting more costs to members requiring them to pay significantly more out of their pocket. IFT partners with insurance carriers and PPO networks who in turn allow their members to use HealtheReports from any device with Internet access.

Freedman has testified to state governments, and at key industry events in recent years that he has seen firsthand the difference that these comparisons provide in reducing out of pocket costs for members, and reducing claims costs for health plans. ?Healthcare transparency empowers members in making informed and value-based decisions, but more fundamentally, this is information members need and with HealtheReports it is now available,? Freedman pointed out.

Butler Health Plan implemented HealtheReports over two years ago. The average cost for some procedures dropped 50%, with employees making high value choices through the IFT web-based subscription tool, Freedman said. Butler Health Plan is a non-profit self-funded medical, prescription and dental plan serving over 20,000 people in 15 school districts in southwest Ohio.

A number of PPOs across the US are offering true transparency through IF Technologies, including one of the nation?s largest networks, First Health. ?HealtheReports is both intuitive and personalized, allowing our consumers to identify high-value healthcare in a few clicks,? stated Blaine Faulkner, Chief Operating Office/Chief Financial Officer of First Health upon signing.

In addition to sharing the real price specific to a member?s network, HealtheReports also allows the member to compare in network providers on the patient experience as shared by other members, in addition to nationally recognized quality and credentialing data.

About IF Technologies

IF Technologies provides healthcare transparency information based on next generation analytics through their software as a service solution available to insurers, preferred provider organizations, self-insured employer plans, and their members. The company, based in Lexington, KY, offers a premier product called HealtheReports via the web, as a health care quality and cost analysis solution which empowers consumers to engage in the process of reducing healthcare costs. For a demo, or to learn more, go to http://www.ThinkIFT.com.

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