And if it did, the 74-year-old Novi resident said she must have forgotten to plant the seeds in her backyard.
Living on a fixed budget, Zurkin said she must watch her spending closely, learning to shy away from some of the finer things in life.
"When you're a retired widow, depending on Social Security and the little amounts that come in here and there, you've got to be smart," she said. "I'd love to spend money on redecorating my home, but my health comes first."
Zurkin said she spends the majority of her monthly income on groceries, medication and household bills.
"I had a stroke three years ago and was put on several medications, which can be very expensive," she said. "Thank God for insurance, otherwise, I'd probably be dead."
Zurkin said she spends $200 to $300 a month on prescriptions, not including over the counter medications.
"I try to ask for generic drugs," she said. "It's cheaper and in my opinion, the same as getting the name brand prescriptions."
Like Zurkin, many people are asking their doctors to prescribe generic medications instead of name brands.
According to Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, to help keep health care costs low without compromising quality, the insurance company launched a collaborative effort to promote to use of generic drugs.
Estimates show that even a 1 percent increase in the sale of generic medications result in a savings of $17 million for Blue Cross Blue Shield customers alone.
Why go generic?
Dr. Chad Savage, of Park Internal Medicine affiliated with St. John Providence Hospital in Novi, said generic drugs are the way to go for the cost savings alone.
Generic drugs, according to the Federal Trade Commission, as a requirement by most state laws, are the equivalent to their name brand counterparts. Generics must have the same active ingredients, strengths and dosage in pill, liquid or injection form. They must also be therapeutically equivalent with the same chemical makeup and medical effect.
"There has been a huge push in Michigan with people trying to switch over to generic drugs," Savage said. "Medical costs have been out of control. The amount of money continues to increase disproportionately to other industries.
"Insurance companies are trying to save money and one way to do that is to encourage people to use generic drugs whenever possible."
Savage said many people think generic drugs are inferior to name brand medications.
"I try to save my patients money when prescribing medications," he said. "In many cases with my elderly patients, I've been able to help them save hundreds of dollars per month with the equivalent medications in generics.
"It's not a medical reason for using generics. It's a social reason, which is valid. The benefit of generics is strictly cost savings. That's the only difference."
A generic revolution
Tony Hassan, pharmacist at St. John Pharmacy at Providence Hospital in Novi, said drugs become generic once the patent on a name brand has expired.
"Many of the major manufacturers are having their own generic drugs to compete with the market of other competing companies," Hassan said. "If a company lost their patent, they would have their own generics drugs. It's a win-win for the major companies trying to capture the generic market too."
Hassan said not only are generics good for manufacturers, but also for insurance companies and the consumers.
"It's a great way to cut down on the spiraling health care costs in this country," he said. "Now-a-days, people are asking for generics where years ago they would shy away from them."
Hassan said he's been in the pharmaceutical business since 1974 and has seen times with no generics, the introduction of generic drugs and the revolution.
"Everyone is coming around to generics, from the younger generations to the seniors," he said. "I've been around a long time from when we have to convince doctors it was OK to use generics. We had to call doctors and let them know that certain drugs had generics, because many did not know."
Hassan said today, most pharmacies fill prescriptions in generic medications unless notified by a doctor or patient to do otherwise.
Saving seniors
Christine Marks, Erickson Advantage manager at Fox Run in Novi, said picking up a generic medication is a better way to stretch your dollar further.
"Especially when it comes to a Medicare Part D plan," Marks said. "Every Medicare Part D plan has a doughnut hole in the amount of coverage allowed.
"Once you reach that doughnut hole, you're responsible for paying for your medication until you've reached the other side and covered once again."
Marks said using generic drugs for seniors is a cheaper way to get more medication and not reach that doughnut hole.
"Seniors should really discuss with their doctors if generics are an option," she said. "Brand name drugs will eat up that initial coverage very quickly."
Zurkin said more people should ask for generic medications and not be so concerned about name brands.
"I've been using generics for years and I'm still alive," she said. "I've probably saved a lot of money that I've been able to use in other places, and I'm grateful for that.
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