star-telegram.com: Teresa McUsic
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• Add drug coverage to seniors' shopping list
  By Teresa McUsic

  Senior citizens have just until the end of the year to change their Medicare drug coverage, and advocates say shopping may save them some serious money."You could be in for real sticker shock in January if you don't," said Bill Vaughan, senior policy analyst for health with Consumers Union. "We recommend people double-check if they are taking drugs how their plan may change in the cost of those drugs in the new year."A study of the 2008 premiums by Consumers Union showed an average 16 percent increase in Texas in Medicare Part D monthly premiums and out-of-pocket costs for five commonly used prescription drugs compared with a year earlier. The drugs looked at were Lipitor for high cholesterol, Zoloft for depression, Celebrex for arthritis, and Altace and the generic Nifedipine for high blood pressure.Consumers Union found a $2,100 annual difference between the lowest-cost and highest-cost plan within Texas for the premiums and five drugs sampled -- $5,088 for EnvisionRx Plus Gold versus $2,987 for HealthSpring Prescription Drug Plan.By increasing the out-of-pocket costs for these drugs through higher co-pays or by taking them off their formularies altogether, insurers can raise their profits, Vaughan said."These are for-profit companies," he said. "If they find they are losing money on some of these drug costs, they will raise them to shift people out of their plan."Making choicesNext year will mark the third year that Medicare Part D will be available for drug coverage for senior citizens. Nationwide, 24 million Americans have signed up for one of 1,800 plans offered.A Kaiser Foundation study showed that the plans have resulted in expanded drug coverage for seniors. In 2006, 8 percent of seniors lacked drug coverage compared with one-third of seniors without drug coverage in 2005, before Medicare Part D went into effect.But consumers need to be diligent in examining their plans every year, said Michelle Kitchman Strollo, principal policy analyst for the foundation."This program is based on the concept of choice," she said. "People are not taking advantage of the fact that if they have this choice, they may find they can save money."Just 12 percent of seniors have changed plans during the open enrollment period, which began in mid-November, according to Medicare.'Huge changes'Although the number who have switched plans this year mirrors the percentage change last year, Vaughan said that there are more changes in premiums, co-pays and formularies in the 2008 plans that will cost consumers more next year."In 2006-07, the data was not that dramatic," he said. "This year, we're seeing some huge changes in drug prices."The vast majority, 88 percent, of plans in Texas increased their overall costs on monthly premiums and the out-of-pocket costs on the five drugs, according to the study. Of the 51 plans offered statewide, 14 percent increased their costs by 25 percent or more, Vaughan said.Consumers should be wary of plans that reduced their monthly premiums for next year as well, he said."You may have been sent a letter saying your plan is lowering its premium, but you have to look beyond that at the deductibles and co-pays and see if your drugs are still on the formulary," he said.Shop aroundMost drug plans have several tiers of co-pays, with generics generally being in the lowest tier.

• The Savvy Consumer: Give with caution
  By TERESA McUSIC

  Like the toys you buy this holiday season, charities should be scrutinized before you write that check."There's a lot of creative accounting going on out there," said Laurie Styron, analyst with the American Institute of Philanthropy, a watchdog organization of nonprofits.Charitable giving is up in 2007, and charities are expecting higher contributions during the important end-of-year donation period, according to GuideStar, another provider of nonprofit information.Last year, charitable giving in the U.S. reached a record of an estimated $295 billion, up nearly $12 billion from the previous year, according to the Giving USA Foundation.Although "megagifts" from billionaires like Warren Buffett make the news, most donations come from people with far less income. Sixty-five percent of households with income under $100,000 give to charity, the foundation reported.Proceed carefullyBut with 1.4 million charities in this country to choose from, donating wisely requires a little homework."There are a lot of sources of charity information out there, and sometimes the source just repackages the charity's marketing material," Styron said. "They oversimplify things like the percentage of a donation that goes directly to programs."That figure is one of the keys to making an informed decision before you donate, Styron said. The AIP standard is that 75 percent or more of what a charity takes in should go to programs.Consumer warningsRecently, AIP founder Daniel Borochoff alerted the public to veterans associations that fall short under the institute's scrutiny."Often causes that tug at the heartstrings have professional fundraisers behind them, and they end up giving on average a third of what you give to the actual groups they represent," Styron said. "Veterans, police and firefighter associations all have a lot of inefficient charities."Last month, the Texas attorney general's office issued a consumer warning about such charities."Donations to groups with the words 'police,''law enforcement' or 'trooper' in their names may not actually benefit real peace officers or their families. As with most things, the devil is in the details," the warning said.The attorney general's office recommends that consumers ask whether solicitors are volunteers or paid telemarketers. Before you give money, check out the claim that the organization benefits a group by calling the group directly.Givers who receive bogus pledge cards or harassing telephone calls from organizations claiming to benefit law enforcement may file a complaint with the attorney general's office by calling 800-252-8011 or visiting its Web site at www.oag.state.tx.us.WATCH YOUR STEPIf you plan on being one of the millions of Americans to donate time or money this holiday season, the Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance offers the following advice:When in doubt, check it out. Contact the BBB Wise Giving Alliance or go to www.bbb.org/charity for a BBB Wise Giving Report on the charity for national charities. For local organizations, go to www.fwbbb.org.Think before you give. If you are solicited at the mall or on the street, take a minute or two to think. Ask for the charity's name and address. Get full identification from the solicitor and review it carefully. Ask to see written information on the charity's programs and finances.

• There are plenty of ways for Americans to celebrate an eco-friendly holiday
  By Teresa McUsic

  2007 may be the first holiday season to turn really green."There is much more excitement about going green for the holidays this year than ever before," said Duane Dahl, creator of EarthLab.com, a green online community of more than 1 million members. "People are much more aware of the environmental impact that things like packaging, decorating and travel have on our planet. With so many great eco-friendly gift ideas and educational resources, people are making better choices for the holidays."My personal green holiday journey started a few weeks ago when I stopped using plastic bags.I'm not alone. San Francisco banned the use of plastic bags in retail stores last month, and a number of countries like Ireland are taxing them, which cuts down on their use dramatically.The bags have turned into an environmental nightmare. Less than 3 percent of the 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags used worldwide each year are recycled, according to a recent article in National Geographic. The rest sit in landfills or end up as trash harmful to animals on land and in the water. The bags can take hundreds of years to decompose, the article said.So now when I check out at a retailer or the grocery store, I ask for no bags. It's really not hard to do; everything just goes back into the cart and I hold onto my receipt in case someone wants to question me at the door (which hasn't happened.)Dahl says the best way to become eco-friendly is to take it one step at a time. By changing your habits gradually, you eventually start to do it automatically.Here are eight other easy ways to make your holiday greener:Let LED holiday lights brighten your house. This year's traditional holiday lights could generate as much global-warming pollution as about 250,000 cars, according to research from the Union of Concerned Scientists. Mini and C-7 incandescent lights used by most homeowners are only about 10 percent efficient, so most of this holiday brightness is wasted electricity, the UCS said.LEDs use semiconductors to convert electrici