New restrictions on meds

Letter to the Editor, Victorville Ca Daily Press following OpEd describing new gov't restrictions. Has anyone else on a2k noted difficulties of this sort or is everyone else here much healthier than I

Open letter to policy geeks dealing out pharmaceuticals: Thanks to "Prescription restrictions overly strict" March 15. Where potential addiction isn't the problem, however, in regard to supply here's another very annoying practice--of not Government but of the Health Insurance Industry (in my case IVHP)--presumably applied to the new or not-so-well established nostrum of higher price than similar, older Elixirs of Life.

My recent experience with a hypertension med called "Bystolic," evidently the only one of its kind reducing blood pressure without slowing heartrate. While I can understand the higher price, I can only guess that thousands of others must also resent certain other restrictions, for instance as with the riskier med, we "...can no longer get long-lasting refills...must visit a doctor to get a refill." Fellas, some of us living in the boondocks live many miles from nearest Walgreen's; while our doctor might be situated at a similar distance in a day and age of 61 cents a mile.

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=average+cost+driving+per+mile

To further irritate a victim of these restrictions, IVHP sends us a letter discouraging its use and suggesting other cheaper meds, entirely effective but which also slow heartrate. Guys, for gosh sake haven't you been keeping up with recent discoveries, where the slower rate is found to cause kidney damage? Googling confirms this with one million four hundred thousand hits.

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=slow+heart+rate+kidney+damage

Where have you been, anyhow?


Dale Hileman
Apple Valley