We all know someone who has suffered a heart attack or stroke.
 
Now imagine that loved one, or even you yourself, finds a medication to prevent another cardiovascular event. The doctor prescribes it. You or your loved one take it. Life starts to feel a little less scary.

But then, the health plan sends a letter in the mail.
-Maybe the co-pay goes up so much that the medication becomes unaffordable.
-Maybe the health plan simply stops covering the medication.
-Then you or your loved one are told to take another medication instead of the one your doctor prescribed.
 
This is called non-medical switching, and it happens all the time.
 
Health plans do this because it makes them money. They see medicines as interchangeable. And they think switching patients is no big deal.
 
But switching patients from medicines that work for them is a really big deal. And it can have consequences.­­­
 
A recent survey of patients who were non-medically switched found:
-Nearly 60% reported having a complication from the new medication
-About 40% said the new medicine was not as effective as the original
-Nearly one in 10 reported being hospitalized for complications after the switch
-Almost 40% reported that being switched was so frustrating they just stopped taking their medicine altogether
 
Non-medical switching is unfair, illogical and potentially deadly. Add your name below to tell insurers they need to focus on saving lives, not boosting corporate profits.