The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) came out with a proposal that had both the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) and the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) applauding as it minimized or prevented losses from selling generic drugs, without necessarily raising the prices too high. This, they said, would help to ensure the ability of their organizations to provide long-term patient care.

But what is it all about?

It all started with the 2005 Deficit Reduction Act (DRA), which required the CMS to set upper limits to Medicaid’s maximum amount for assisting in paying for drugs. At 250% of the average manufacturer’s price (AMP) of the lowest-cost version of any qualifying drug, the NACDS and the NCPA brought legal action to the situation, since the new formula would have forced them to either accept losses for selling generic drugs or not sell them at all.

It all came to a head in 2007, when a court injunction prevented the CMS from implementing many changes – and in the process, many people who did need assistance for their drug costs were left out in the cold. Drug stores, because they lost money on generic drugs, would stock up more on expensive brand-name equivalents.

The new proposal now aims to base generic drug costs on around 175% of the “weighted” AMP, which is based more on how much the drug is used, rather than on how much the cheapest version of the drug is. This is a more accurate way of assessing what the true cost of a generic drug is. While it may be more expensive than the prices before, it will make generic drugs available in more drug stores across the country.

Do take note, however, that these actions are not applicable to mail-order stores.

Sign up on the box at the right for more information on medicaid-related options and offers.

Scour your home for school supplies – One reason why back-to-school spending can go out of hand is that many people choose to purchase new products each year. But do you really need to buy everything new? You’ll be surprised at how many school supplies you can find in your own home if you look. For instance, you can let your children use your old company folders, notebooks, pens or pencils for school. Don’t buy new clothes unless your children have outgrown their shoes and clothing.

Be diligent when looking for bargains – Coupon stacking is a great way to save during this time of the year. In addition, you must always be on the lookout for clearance sales near your area. If you spot yard sales, be sure to pay a visit. Dollar stores are also good places to find excellent bargains. When you do find very good deals, remember to purchase for the whole school year to maximize your savings.

Be wise when buying clothing for your kids – If you have to buy new clothes or shoes for your children, purchase larger sizes to allow room for their growth. This will help you avoid having to buy new sets of clothes each year. Also, you don’t always have to purchase brand new items. You can find slightly used clothes (many of which are even branded items) in thrift stores, eBay or Craigslist for excellent bargains.

Be sure to instill money lessons to your children – In many cases, parents overspend because they simply can’t say “No” to their children. When your kids become unreasonable because they claim to need the latest branded apparel, be prepared to draw-the-line. Teach them the difference between needs and wants. Make it clear to them that money doesn’t grow on trees, and that it must be spent wisely, especially when times are bad. A good way to train them is to bring them along when you shop for school supplies. Show them how to compare prices so they can see just how much costs can vary between similar products. Then ask them why they should spend $15 on a product when another similar item is available for just a dollar.

Sign up on the box at the right to see what other school cost saving options are available to you.

Top jobs through 2008 to 2018 for people with a graduate degree:

• Post-Secondary Teachers – 553,000 job openings
• Doctors and Surgeons – 261,000 job openings
• Lawyers – 240,000 job openings
• Clergy – 218,000 job openings
• Pharmacists – 106,000 job openings

Top jobs through 2008 to 2018 for people with a bachelor’s degree:

• Elementary School Teachers (except special education) – 597,000 job openings
• Accountants and Auditors – 498,000 job openings
• Secondary School Teachers (except special and vocational education) – 412,000 job openings
• Middle school teachers (except special and vocational education) – 251,000 job openings
• Computer Systems Analysts – 223,000 job openings

Top jobs through 2008 to 2018 for people with an associate’s degree or postsecondary vocational award:

• Registered Nurses – 1,039,000 job openings
• Nursing Aides, Orderlies, and Attendants – 422,000 job openings
•  Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses – 391,000 job openings
• Computer Support Specialists – 235,000 job openings
• Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists – 220,000 job openings

Sign up on the box at the right for more career tips and information on retraining options available to you.

Unemployment Benefits

When visiting your local state unemployment insurance agency, make sure you have your medical records so you can file for all applicable benefits related to your injury, aside from the standard unemployment benefits. Some of these are bundled with other packages, such as veteran’s benefits. There are also industry-specific packages.

Social Security

Inquire about Disability Insurance specific to your condition (if you have already worked for a certain amount of time and you’ve paid your taxes), or ask about Supplemental Security Income you can use if your disability is causing you serious financial concerns.

Developmental Disabilities

The State Council on Developmental Disabilities and the Protection and Advocacy Agencies can help you if you or a family member has developmental disabilities. They can provide you with assistance and information concerning services that can help you.

TANF

If you or someone in the household is applying for TANF, be sure to list all disabilities, as this affects aid calculation.

Food Stamps

When you do apply for SNAP (food stamp) benefits, it is again important to list down if you or any family member is disabled, as it affects how much you will receive per family member (about $150 to $170).

Housing

When applying for any housing program, particularly for Section 8 Housing (housing choice vouchers), you must state any disability, as this will be factored into which housing units can be suited for you. There are also local housing programs that may help you customize a house for a particular disability. In such a case, it may be under a home improvement program.

Weatherization

Be it the local WAP or LIHEAP program, you must state your disability when applying for weatherization and utility assistance, as this will be a big factor in how much assistance they can give you, and may, like in housing programs, help them determine if you need weatherization improvements done to your house.

Sign up on the box at the right for more information on disability benefits and options.

Even if there are more favorable offers, it’s still very important to spend wisely on your auto insurance. After all, if you want to maximize your savings, you wouldn’t want to spend more than you should on auto insurance. Here are some tips to reduce the cost of your insurance:

Request for higher deductibles – The deductible is what consumers pay before the insurance company begins paying for the loss. People who pay higher deductibles are seen as a lower risk for the company. Therefore, paying more for your deductibles can actually lower the total cost of your collision or comprehensive coverage. On average, people who increase their deductibles from $200 to $500 can lower their comprehensive coverage from 15% to 30%.

Get only the coverage you need – It’s highly unlikely for older cars with lower market values to exceed the cost of insurance and your deductible amount in the event of an accident. Hence, getting collision or comprehensive coverage for these cars won’t really do you any favors except inflate the cost of your auto-insurance. Know your car’s market value. Find out if you can simply drop collision and comprehensive coverage to lower your expense.

In addition, if you already have good medical coverage such as health, life and disability insurance, you won’t need to get more than the minimum personal injury protection required by the state for your auto-insurance. If you do, you’ll only be duplicating your expenses on medical coverage.

Combine Policies with one company you trust – Insurance companies usually give discounts if you insure all your vehicles on one policy. Moreover, you may also get lower premiums if you get auto-insurance from the same company that provides your homeowner’s or life insurance.

Know the factors that lower auto-insurance – Remember that your driving record is always taken into account when calculating your insurance rates. Do have a clean driving record if you want to get the best auto insurance rates available to you. Consider carpooling from time to time to lower your mileage, since some companies offer low-mileage discounts. Owning a low-profile and reliable car does help your cause. A car that is a common target for thieves or is expensive to maintain always attracts the higher premiums. Spare yourself the extra cost by going for practicality rather than prestige.

For assistance in buying a car, sign up on the box at the right.

Based on the study, it’s clear that the demand for people who have college degrees will only increase in the coming years. If you want to capitalize on these growing job opportunities, be sure that you have the right credentials. Here are some of the college degrees expected to have the highest demand within the next decade:

Health Care

• Medical Technician
• Registered Nursing
• Medical Assistant
• Pharmacy
• Physical Therapy

Education

• Special Education
• Education and Teaching
• Child Care
•  Teaching Certification

STEM

• Computer Science
• Information Technology and Systems
• Programming and Applications
• Technology Support

Managerial and Professional Office

• Accounting
• Administrative Office Support
• Business Administration
• Human Resources Management
• MBA

Community Service and Arts

• Animation
• Graphic Design
• Multimedia Film & Video
• Visual Communications

Sign up on the box at the right to see what other school cost saving options are available to you.

Here are some ways to prevent yourself from being turned away at the counter, if you’re avoiding overdraft fees.

Keep in mind your available balance. Don’t think of your account as all of the money in it, but more of what is there that can be used – those are two separate amounts. Even then, you should keep track of your available balance every month and use your account accordingly.

Link your accounts. You can link a savings account to your checking account, so that you have a controlled overdraft fund of sorts. However, do remember that there are processing fees (about $10 per transaction), and that it’s better to have another, true savings account, just to be sure.

Apply for a credit line. If your rating is okay, then this is a viable idea – your bank will extend you a loan to cover for insufficient funds, and with competitive interest rates.

Keep a cash reserve. It’s best to keep a reserve of at least a hundred dollars when calculating the usable amount of money in your account. That way, if you do make a mistake in our tallying, you at least have an overdraft fund of sorts.

Cut the cards. Finally, you can survive on cash alone, and perhaps a basic ATM card. This way, your resources are limited to the cash you really have on hand. You will have less debt, but this is definitely a hard road to adapt to.

Sign up on the box at the right to find more options for debt relief and modification if you have overdraft concerns.

As an example, if your income (from all sources) is $1,250 per month, you’ll pay 30% ($375) of that for rent, and the government will pick up the rest. Once you get a voucher, you can live anywhere you want in the country.

Homeowners are already getting government assistance to pay their mortgage (in the form of a tax break on their monthly payment) . Renters also get government help to pay their rent. It’s called Housing Choice Vouchers, the new name for Section 8.

And no longer do people using vouchers have to live in public housing. Rather than isolating people in high-rise public housing towers, you choose where to live, meaning you can find a community with lower crime, better schools and other factors that make life more pleasant.

People using Housing Choice Vouchers are also helping lift the housing market, and the country out of recession. Landlords are buying up decrepit , foreclosed homes and then renovating them and renting them out to people using vouchers. The landlord is assured of collecting the rent each month – from the government, and tenants get a nice place to live.

There is even a website set-up to find available apartments in your area….

Sign up on the right to read more

The food stamp program, now known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), aims to provide assistance to eligible low-income families and individuals, helping them buy the food they need. However, not everyone who qualifies for food stamps are able to apply and receive much-needed help. Part of this reason is a lack of awareness, which means that there are still those who do not know who to contact or where to apply to receive SNAP benefits.

Because of the desperate times we’re in, stronger efforts are needed to make sure that people who need food stamp benefits are able to receive benefits.

The USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) provides Partnership and Outreach programs for various organizations to increase awareness and improve the access to affordable and nutritious food. Non-profit and faith-based organizations are encouraged to participate in partnership and outreach programs.

Sign up on the box at the right for food stamp application guidelines, contact information for your state plus other sources of financial help available in your city.

Why spend more money if you still end up unemployed after graduation? 

However, studies from the Georgetown University Center suggest that life with a college degree still provides better chances for success compared to life without a college degree. According to their research, the current unemployment figures are not just because of a lack of job openings. In their study, they found that there are many job openings still available despite the recession, especially In sectors such as Health Care, Education, STEM (Scientific, Technical, Engineering, Mathematic, and Social Sciences), Managerial and Professional Office, and Community Service and Arts. However, not enough Americans are completing college to qualify for these available jobs. In fact, an estimated 3 million new jobs will be left vacant by 2018, since there won’t be enough individuals with the proper education credentials to qualify for these jobs.

Based on the study, it’s clear that having a college degree holds an advantage especially when considering the long-term job outlook.

Sign up on the box at the right to see what other school cost saving options are available to you.