WellCare Medicare Advantage Health plans OTC cash cow

. According to Allied Market Research, the 2016 OTC market was valued over 200 billion dollars. The 2023 OTC market is projected to be valued at $335 billion. Centene corporation, Wellcare health plans, OTC Health Solutions, and CVS corporation have combined to use Medicare advantage plans OTC benefits to fatten and herd that cash cow into their collective barn.   

March 27, 2019 Wellcare announced that Centene corporation would acquire Wellcare. 2021 Wellcare advantage health plans OTC  benefits are provided through OTC Health Solutions’s catalog . OTC Health Solutions catalog exclusively provides WellCare health plan members an extremely limited selection of generic CVS OTC products.

Individuals enrolled in Wellcare advantage health plans must purchase OTC items through the OTC catalog in order to utilize their OTC quarterly benefit. The purchase of the limited items is restricted to 3 orders per quarter. The quarterly OTC amount must be spent within that quarter or it is lost. The purchase of the limited OTC items may be made by phone, in CVS stores, or online. The quarterly 3 order limit applies to all methods of purchase.

Wellcare advantage plan members desiring omega 3 supplements are limited to the choice of purchasing CVS generic brand Omega-3 Krill Oil 500mg 45CT for $26 or CVS generic Fish Oil Omega-3 1000mg 120 ct for $ 10 of their quarterly OTC benefit. That is quite a conundrum given that the Krill oil is out of stock online and at the local CVS store. So there is just one choice.

The advantage plan member really feels slighted when there are buy one, get one signs plastered throughout the CVS store supplement shelves but they are informed at the register they do not qualify for that offer. They are limited to the exact item in the catalog at the price stipulated in the catalog.

The above scenario repeats for other supplements and products. VITAMIN D3 2000 IU SOFTGELS, 100 CT, and  CVS Health Vitamin D Softgels 5000IU, 100CT

out of stock, online and at the local store. CVS Health Aftersun Aloe Vera Moisturizing Gel, 20 oz $6, out of stock online and in the local store.

Should the advantage plan member decide to purchase a heating pad, or a rechargeable toothbrush they have one choice a CVS Health Vinyl Heating Pad $22 and the EASYFLEX PRO PREMIUM RECHARGEABLE TOOTHBRUSH,$55. The heating pad and rechargeable toothbrush is of such poor quality that they both received less than 3 stars out of 5 in CVS customer reviews.

So the advantage plan member is really restricted to buying generic items that they do not want or lose the benefit.

WellCare, CVS, OTC Health solutions, and Centene corporation have truly corralled that OTC cash cow. The WellCare advantage members must purchase through OTC health solutions and may only purchase limited CVS generic OTC items. WellCare, Centene, OTC health solutions, and CVS keep a tight rein on prices, availability, selection, and times of purchase. 

CVS, Centene, WellCare, and OTC health solutions must be ecstatic. Their ecstasy comes at the high price of Wellcare's advantage plans members dissatisfaction and inability to purchase quality OTC items with their questionable OTC health plan benefit allotment.

Richest countries in the world and their health insurance

Well, Luxembourg has fallen to 10 place and United States is in 11th place so far as wealth is concerned.  The United States is number one in health care expenditures.

Health insurance

According to the World Bank data for 2008, Luxembourg is the richest country. The luxembourgforict website claims Luxembourg is the safest city in the world. Health insurance is mandatory and it is generally provided by the national social security system.

Wealth is not a new status for Luxembourg and it is the world's second largest investment fund center. Skype and Ebay among many other internet companies have moved their local or global headquarters to Luxembourg.

Surely, this country knows the best way to care for its citizens healthcare needs and they have a national system. Why are we reluctant to do as they do?

According to the World Bank data for 2008, Norway is the second richest country in the world. World economic outlook database for 2009, lists Norway as the richest country world in the world. The life expectancy of Norwegians is amongst the highest in the world. Diseases of the circulatory system and cancer are the primary and secondary cause of death.

All Norwegians are insured by the National Insurance Scheme. It is primarily tax funded. There are some payments made by individuals for co-payments to specialists and prescriptions. These payments are limited to approximately $315.00 per year.

Pregnancies are fully covered and a year of maternity leave is provided for the mother. The father has a minimum of six weeks maternity leave. Some conditions, such as rheumatism, qualify for two weeks at a spa.

Why should we in the United States have such a problem with healthcare?

Social Security Cola rip off

Congress has made sure that social security recipients will not receive a COLA for the next two years. Congressional members received a $4,700 pay raise in January of 2009, and in March of 2009, voted to curtail any increase until 2011. The congressional members currently receive an annual sum of $174,000.00.


Why do they receive a raise in 2011, but social security will still have a cola freeze? I just do not get it. Food costs have risen. The New York Times reported in August of 2009 that food prices were likely to increase. What dates did the economists use to calculate the price of goods that the seniors are paying? Odd, that the New York Times stipulated the food prices would inflate in the last quarter of 2009 into 2010. Anyone out there?? Anybody going to say something?? Do something??

The corn future prices were $6.40 in September of last year and $3.80 in September of this year. Yet, pet food bags have been changed from 18 lb bags to 16 lb bags and the prices have remained the same. 40 lb bags were changed to 36 lb bags and the prices remained the same. The Denver Post reported that there were price increases in nearly every pet food category, due to rising costs of ingredients, fuel, and transportation for the manufacturers. The article stipulates that consumers will not see a reduction in price anytime soon. The reason behind this statement is the long term contracts that were made when prices were higher in 2008.

Pets are beneficial to the isolated and the elderly. The Journal of the American Geriatrics Society published a study in May of 1999 that stipulated independent seniors that have pets are in better physical and mental health than seniors that don't. The pet owners were more active, coped better with stress, and exhibited increased overall health.

Property taxes, gasoline taxes, and sales taxes have been increased in many states and counties. Health care costs have increased. How do they reach the conclusion that the social security recipients have more spending money?

There has been a proposal to increase the Federal employees salaries by 2%, why would they not fall into the same category as the social security recipients and not need any salary increase?

Many social security recipients have seen their retirement funds dissipate and many have been told they no longer have the retirement benefits that were promised by their former employers. Many no longer have insurance coverage as of 2010.

The well being of our senior citizens is in jeopardy. 7 out of 10 seniors have stipulated that they will suffer financially due to the lack of a COLA increase in their 2010 social security income. This information was gathered by a telephone poll conducted October 21 - 29, 2009 by the Insured Retirement Institute.

Many seniors will be and have been just barely living on beans, rice, and ramen noodles. Many have gone and will go without needed doctor visits and medications. Many have and will lose their homes because they can no longer meet their expenses.

Where are all the social security recipients and why are they not turning out in mass and saying "We will not go quietly into the night!" Why are they not saying, "We demand better treatment and fair monetary compensation for years of employment and contributions to FICA!"? Where are they? I feel like I am searching for Waldo.

Well, Waldo it is time to have a huge sit in. It is time for us to rise up and go forth to Washington and stay there in mass. Until our income is restored. It is time to send those that empty our wallets packing, It is time for some new faces to be seen in the congressional seats.

We need to prepare, we need to unite, and stick up for our financial futures.

Medicare and Rx insurance hold ups / Robbery

I composed this 11 years ago and I believe it still seems to apply today. The dissatisfaction has grown from prescription drug coverage to OTC item coverage. The incessant drip, drip, drip of restrictions continue to plague an individual’s interaction with their health plan.

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I feel threatened when I read about the penalties imposed upon individuals that do not sign up for Medicare plans within the designated periods. Insurance is a dirty word these days and immersing yourself in the jargon of the coverage descriptions can be most overwhelming. So this very sharp cleaver is held to your throat and you are given the option to pay now or pay much more later.

How does one decide when none of what is being offered seems to be helpful and only seems to have the promise of plaguing one for not choosing the right plan to cover your hospital, accident incidents while traveling, prescription, or long term recovery bills. Where is my crystal ball anyway?

I am being hounded by my past prescription plan providers because I did not pay them. Why I did not pay them was because I did not want the prescription coverage but they would not let me cancel it. I was automatically signed up due to the fact that I had social security disability. The first year did not cost me anything. The next year they said I had to pay for the coverage and I said I did not want it. The insurance cost me more than my scripts did. I just have thyroid meds. My disability is due to bipolar, personality disorder, sleep disorder, fibromyalgia, and other problems for which I choose not to be a script guinea pig. As long as I can squirrel away when I feel muscular or psychological pain, I am able to surface on occasion and interact with the world.

I have tried writing to the company and stipulating that I did not sign up for the insurance. They still insist upon billing for a service, a policy, that I neither wanted nor used. So the torture continues like constantly dripping water from an inaccessible tap. Drip. Drip. DRIP!

I received important plan information about my Medicare Advantage Plan today. Drip. Drip. DRIP! I also received a collection notice about the past Rx plan, Drip. Drip. DRIP! The one forced upon me, one I did not request nor signed up and sent a written request to drop coverage. DRIP! DRIP! DRIP!

If one is not ill when they MUST sign up for the Medicare plans, I suspect they will become so as they embark upon deciphering the morass of details that surrounds each plan description. The psychological harm, nervous tics, hospitalizations, heart attacks, and funerals brought about by suicide, imposed by the process should be covered for free without any imposed deductibles. Now this is a process that should be declared a national emergency.