The new novel, The Broken Parachute Man, is now available. It can be ordered online through i-Universe, Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble. If you want to get it locally, your bookstore can order it through Ingram or Baker & Taylor book distributors. Tell your bookstore they can stock it with a guaranteed return policy. While you wait, check out the short stories and my previous novel Unwanted Inheritance.
Phenix & Phenix, the nationally recognized publicity firm out of Austin, has started the publicity campaign for The Broken Parachute Man. You may see articles in the paper or on the Internet. If you are interested in promoting this book or any aspects of topics in the book, contact the author. Likewise, if your book club or library would like to have the author visit, contact him at author@robertbolin.com. Signings and meetings will be posted here as they are scheduled.
Monday, February 16 - 2009 Scheduled Books Signings:
- March 5th, 2009 at the bookstore on the first floor of Skylakes Medical Center, 2865 Daggett Ave., Klamath Falls, OR from 11 AM to 1 PM.
- March 7th, 2009 at Borders Express, 2870 So. 6th St., Klamath Falls, OR from noon to 4 PM.
- March 13th, 2009 at the bookstore on the main floor of North Bend Medical Center, 1900 Woodland Dr., Coos Bay, OR 97420 from 9 AM to noon.
- March 14th, 2009 and 9 May, 2009 at Books-by-the-Bay Bookstore, 1875 Sherman Ave., North Bend, OR 97459 from 1 PM to 4 PM.
Saturday, January 31st - 2009
Five Ways to Save Money on Your Prescriptions
According to the Sloan Report issued in 2005, over half of Americans above the age of 45 take at least one prescription drug a week. Above 65, 29 percent take five or more drugs a week and over 80 percent take one or more. This consumption makes pharmaceuticals manufacture one of the most profitable United States industries, and it affects a large proportion of our people that can least afford it.
Remember drug companies are in business to make money. In the novel, The Broken Parachute Man, the executive with a conscience noted: “Well, the pharmaceutical industry is big business with fortunes to be made if the right drug is developed. Shareholders expect more each year.”
There are things you can do as a consumer to minimize costs, but it requires a little work on your part. Here are five tips that work:
- Make a list of all your medicines and then always show it to your health care provider and pharmacist when you visit. Ask them if any of them do the same thing and, if so, can one or more be eliminated. Many times, multiple providers are not aware of previous medicines prescribed by others. Always update your list so everyone knows.
- Ask your health care provider if a medicine is to be continued if you are due for a refill. The prescription may have been for a problem that no longer exists.
- Check the prices of your medicines and don’t be afraid to ask if there are cheaper options. The pharmaceutical industry is competitive and, even if you have to have a trade name drug, there may be another, cheaper one that does the same thing for you.
- Ask for generic drugs when possible. Generic medications are manufactured in the United States under the same strict guidance as trade-name drugs. The cost-savings can be dramatic.
- Comparative shop for your medications at several pharmacies. The price difference can be dramatic. Be sure to get a price check for all your needs, not just one or two drugs. Many times, a pharmacy will quote a cheap price on one item only to escalate the price of another one. There are no price standards and companies will charge what the market will bear. You can also find internet sites that compares for you. It is up to you to act as a knowledgeable consumer and the process is no different than shopping for a car or groceries.