RE: halted??Well someone's still kicking around on a Friday nite (well, maybe no longer!). For a moment there I though SXC holders must be off enjoying an extra-special happy hour (ok, right now I'm enjoying a rum and coke - good for the arteries don't ya know
and I wouldn't see any more messages until over the weekend.
Just spent the last 45 minutes digging around into the other players - i.e. all those card sponsors. Many are trying to differentiate themselves by pitching other added services, which is perfectly understandable.
Also brushing up on my Medicare history - it's fascinating to compare the US with Canada in the delivery of health care and medicine. After all, to many Americans, or Republicans at least, we're all a bunch of "socialists" up here, eh?
The good news for me right now is that SXC's inclusion proves it is already an established player in the US, otherwise it would have been passed over. Not only that, but it ranks among the national players - i.e. of the 28 approved sponsors, I counted 8 that are only regional or state-specific and of the latter, some don't even cover all of the state they're in. Not that SXC is currently present in all states by any means, but that they're eligible to grow and provide their services wherever they can.
From what I've read, these discount cards are a transition step to full medicare coverage currently slated to take effect in 2006. Obviously they've been introduced to assist seniors and people on low incomes, but also I sense to appease both US citizens who are fed up with the rising cost of drugs in the US, as well as US drug companies who are fed up with Canadian Internet pharmacies practicing what someone recently called "regulatory arbitrage". I also sense this latter phenonemon is on the wane as these same Canadian on-line players are coming under criticism here in Canada as well. And among other things, the rise in the loonie is making them less competitive.
It's a partial solution, but better than none at all. Difficult to quantify what this will add to SXC's bottom line at this point (and even SXC and the other players probably don't know until they see the take-up rate), but this same news was worthy of a PR from at least 2 other sponsors I've come across so far namely, Aetna and Medco Health.
Cardan has a web site?