Manufactured Homes Prices Texas
A Spoon Full of Sugar – How to Save on Prescription Drugs in Texas
With the cost of prescription drugs continuing to skyrocket, you need to stay savvy regarding the use of money-saving strategies. According to the Employee Benefit Research Institute, prescription drug expenditures, in Texas as well as throughout the U.S., grew at double-digit rates during almost every year since 1980.
Senior citizens who depend on Medicare, which doesn’t cover outpatient prescriptions, shell out the most. But even people whose health insurance pays for medications sometimes find they have hefty co-payments or deductibles. The prescription drug costs of private insurers are rising even faster than the overall total costs. The following are tips to help you stretch your prescription-drug dollar:
First, and most importantly, if you get your prescriptions from a variety of sources, remember to provide a complete list of ALL your medications – including over-the-counter – you’re taking to each pharmacist. This allows them to check for possible dangerous drug interactions.
Make Sure Your Doctor Knows. If you pay for prescriptions out of your own pocket, make sure your doctor knows. In many cases, there are less expensive medications that can be used to treat the same condition, and your doctor should be able to prescribe the most economical ones.
Go Generic. Instead of brand name medications, ask your doctor if he or she will prescribe generic equivalents. You can save between 30% to 50% or even more. Also inquire about over-the-counter medications that might be able to meet your needs.
Know Your Plan. Before signing up for an individual health insurance plan, check your co-payments for prescription drugs, as well as the maximum amount the plan pays annually. Also find out whether your health plan has a formulary – a list of drugs they’ll cover. A health insurance plan with a closed formulary pays only for certain pre-approved drugs. If the one you need is not on the list, you pay the entire cost of the drug. Open formularies offer most drugs, but the prices may vary. If your plan has a closed formulary, you may be able to request an exception by having your doctor fill out a form. But with HMOs, you may have to go through an appeals process.
Compare Prices. Shop around for a pharmacy that offers the best prices on prescription drugs. For example, some pharmacies offer cheaper prices but no extra services, such as home delivery or pharmacist consultations. It may also be worthwhile to compare prices on a prescription-by-prescription basis, since stores sometimes offer specials on popular drugs. In addition, your pharmacist may match the lower price, if you find a cheaper price on-line.
Bulk Up! If you’re prescribed a drug for a month or longer, ask your physician if you can order it in a bulk supply. It’ll cost less than buying the prescription weekly. Bulk purchases work to your benefit if you are insured. Most insurers charge the same co-pay whether you buy a 10 day or 30 day supply of a medicine. Furthermore, the co-pay for a 90 day supply, particularly if you order by mail from the insurer’s mail order drug supplier, is usually less than three times a 30 day supply.
Order Online or by Snail Mail. According to the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, mail-order pharmacies now make up 10 to 12 percent of the total prescription market. Ordering by mail can lower your co-pays if you are insured or can save you 10% to 15% of the total cost if you are uninsured. It’s perfect for patients who take medication regularly and can place orders in advance. If you are insured, ask your insurance company for mail order information. Otherwise, some resources that offer discounted mail-order drugs are: Medi-Mail, 800-331-1458; and the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), 800-456-2279.
While you can save money by purchasing online, be careful. Many web sites are not reputable and are selling medications without any authorization. And avoid pharmacies outside the U.S. – you may not get the proper formulation of the drug or the drugs you need. Also, some shady Internet pharmacies are set up overseas to avoid U.S. law. The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) developed a system to verify licensure of Internet Pharmacies – the Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice SiteTM (VIPPS) certification. NABP is located in Park Ridge, Illinois. The organization can be reached at (847) 698-6227. For more information, check out The Food and Drug Administration’s site on buying medical products online, www.fda.gov/buyonline.
Split the Difference. You can get certain prescriptions at double their appropriate dose and then split the tablets in half. This can result in a 50% savings. It’s no wonder some health care providers ask or even require their patients do it. To find out if pill splitting is right for you, ask your doctor or pharmacist. Some drugs are in a time-release formulation, so they should not be split because you might get a full dose all at once. Also, since pill splitting can often result in uneven dosages, your doctor may not like the idea, especially if you need a very precise dose. But once you’re given the okay, you can purchase a pill splitter to help make the cutting easier and more accurate.
Manufacturer Aid. Many major drug companies now have programs to cover patients who can’t afford medications they need. Program details vary widely depending on the manufacturer, but all of them require that your doctor put the application in for you. If your primary care physician is unfamiliar with these kinds of programs, he/she should call the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (202-835-3400) and ask for a program guide. You will not be able to get this information on your own.
About the Author
Pat Carpenter writes for Precedent Insurance Company. Precedent puts a new spin on health insurance. Learn more at Precedent.com
Manufactured Home…Pros and Cons?
I am looking into purchasing a manufactured home. It is considered a triple wide, over 3,000 square feet, 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, very modern on the inside, for $159,000. The land it will sit on is already owned by me. What are your thoughts? Am I crazy? Although it is expensive for a home in Texas, I could never have a 3,000 square foot “stick built” home for that price. I would love some advise. Thanks in advance.
manufactured homes often do cost less than ’stick built’ homes. The reasons for this usually include because they are built in a controlled environment (no weather delays, or hazards), factory labor, as opposed to self employed contractors, and lower materials cost because a manufacturer is able to purchase in large quantities. In a few cases, lower quality materials/practices are used, so you need to be careful when shopping.
What to look for –
Exterior – Siding and shingles should be of comparable quality to those you would purchase for a site built home. Some manufacturers use a thinner vinyl siding, or shingles with a shorter lifespan. Hardi-board, or Hardi-plank siding is a longer lasting choice (its cement board).
Walls – One well known brand offers homes with 3inch “load bearing” walls – this is a joke – ONLY the exterior and marriage walls are load bearing. What this manufacturer ISN’T telling, is that the other walls will be 2×4’s that were ripped in half. I always recommend that folks shop for 2×6 exterior walls, with 2×4 studs though out the rest. This allows for more insulation, making the home more energy efficient.
Many lower cost homes use vinyl wrapped drywall, which usually has a print on it, and batten strips. Higher cost homes will opt for full finished drywall. A lot of mid-price range homes will offer the ‘great rooms’ in finished drywall, with vinyl wrapped drywall on the other rooms.
Plumbing – Pex plumbing is popular with manufacturers because it is a fast, easy (and costs less) installation. What they don’t tell you, is that it costs more for the homeowner to maintain. Plastic fixtures for Pex style tubing costs twice as much as brass fittings. Cpvc plumbing is a better choice for the homeowner – its easier to maintain, costs less for the parts, and much easier to find. For me, this is an easy indicator as to whether the manufacturer is more concerned with cutting costs, or building a quality home.
Bath and sink fittings should be metal, not plastic.
Avoid ’sharkbite’ press fittings. These are again, cheaper/faster for the manufacturer, but cost more for the homeowner, and they have a nasty failure rate – Ive had to replace one or two in every home Ive done warranty service on.
Cabinetry – Some manufacturers use low-cost and low-quality cabinetry. Beware of vinyl/paper wrapped materials. Instead look for solid woods, veneers, etc.
It is possible to get a high quality manufactured home, that will still cost less than site-built homes. You have to educate yourself on what makes a good quality home, whether from a manufacturer, or site built. Any good quality home will have the same features, whether it is site built, or manufactured. Educate, Educate, Educate.
One more thing – the foundation is extremely important. Best rule of thumb – the more concrete you have under the home, the better off you will be. A poured basement is the best choice. Next best is a 6 inch slab. Then comes ‘runners’ where you have parallel ‘troughs’ filled with concrete (usually 2 ft wide, to below frost line). The most common choice is the ‘pier’ system, where you have 2 ft diameter holes drilled into the ground, to below frost line, and filled with concrete. The absolute worst choice, is a plastic or cement pad thrown on top of the ground. This is legal in many southern states, but its not a good idea.
Any new home will settle (even stick builts). If you’ve opted for the pier system, expect to need to relevel the home within a year. If you’ve gone for pads on top of the ground, you’ll need to relevel every few months, hehe. But with a poured basement, you probably wouldn’t need to relevel the home at all, other than checking the supports along the marriage walls.
Finally – I should mention there is a difference between a ‘modular’ home, and a ‘mobile’ home, even though both are ‘manufactured’. A modular home is built with a stronger wood framing structure – the steel transport frame is meant to be removed. With a mobile home, the steel frame stays in place. A modular home is supported around the perimeter, like a stick built home… but the mobile home is supported by the steel frame, not the perimeter. Modulars cost more up front, but have a better resale value, can actually appreciate in value, and are easier to insure. Mobile homes often depreciate in value, and cost more to insure. Whether the home is ‘permanent’ or not, is often the deciding factor on the cost of insurance for a mobile home, and its depreciation.
Have Fun
3 Mobile Homes For Sale, Rice, TX
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Exchange Rates and Prices : The Case of Australian Manufactured Imports $83.8 No Synopsis Available |
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Exchange Rates and Prices: The Case of Australian Manufactured Imports $83.8 No Synopsis Available |
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Manufactured Homes : Making Sense of a Housing Opportunity $86.73 No Synopsis Available |
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Early Texas Homes $29.54 This book is in Used condition |
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Texas Homes of the Nineteenth Century $46.79 This book is in Used condition |
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Beautiful Homes of Texas : A Collection of the Finest Designers in Texas $41.54 No Synopsis Available |
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Homes $29.99 James Lyons Homes – Photographic Print |
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Luxury Homes of Texas : An Exclusive Showcase of Texas’ Finest Architects and Builders $40.76 No Synopsis Available |
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Dream Homes Texas : An Exclusive Showcase of Finest Architects, Designers and Builders in Texas $41.54 No Synopsis Available |
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Bargain Prices $24.99 Bargain Prices – Photographic Print |
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Bread Prices $24.99 Bread Prices – Photographic Print |
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Manufactured Landscapes $17.55 Rated: NRSynopsis: In the spirit of such environmentally enlightening hits as AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH and RIVERS AND TIDES, MANUFACTURED LANDSCAPES powerfully shifts our consciousness about the world and the way we live in it.The film follows Internationally acclaimed photographer Edward Burtynsky whose large-scale photographs of manufactured landscapes quarries, recycling yards, factories, mines and dams create stunningly beautiful art from civilization s materials and debris. The film follows him through China, as he shoots the evidence and effects of that country s massive industrial revolution. Burtynsky s photographs allow us to meditate on our impact on the planet and witness both the epicenters of industrial endeavor and the dumping grounds of its waste. |