ALVA Woodpeckers build home in Alva woman’s house You may have heard of squatters, but this woman is dealing with squawkers. Who needs a rooster to wake up when you have woodpeckers?
FORT MYERS Man claims he was trapped in a high-rise for 5 days A 77-year-old man wants justice after he claims he spent days trapped on the 24th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmate State Attorney Amira Fox convened a grand jury, which decided to move forward with a case against a Charlotte Correctional inmate.
SANIBEL Construction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns While many eagle nests may be a bit difficult to see, one nest has always been a favorite for Sanibel residents and tourists.
The environmental effects of artificial sweeteners Experts are studying how the foods we eat affect the environment, especially after we flush our waste down the toilet.
Victim reacts to man exposing himself to her Ring camera You get a notification on your phone from your ring camera app that someone is at the door, only to find out it is someone exposing themselves. It’s the last thing victim Maria Kivi wanted or expected to see last week.
LEE COUNTY The art of capturing your eye and drawing you in How do you capture young, hip, trendy, fun, movers and shakers, all in a pose? We take you behind the scenes of a Gulfshore Life cover shoot.
FORT MYERS The lives of two SJC Boxers changed in the ring Two SJC Boxers, Mario Nunez and Arbon Kurtishi, help each other in the ring as each of them had their lives changed because of boxing.
FORT MYERS Chlamydia cases rising sharply in Lee County If you think about a crowded space- something with more than 250 people- if it’s in Lee county, statistically one person has chlamydia.
SANIBEL Sanibel resort day passes hope to get more business on the island A pass will allow vacationers to hang out at a Sanibel beach club for a day in hopes of drumming up some business.
Voting equipment tested ahead of Lee County elections Voting equipment is being tested in Lee County. This is to ensure all ballots are printed and counted correctly for the upcoming election.
Collier County teen assaulted after leaving party The teen has been charged and the sheriff’s office said they’re aware that many believe felony charges are in order, but under Florida law, there are very specific criteria that must be met for felony charges to be filed.
WINK weather team watching tropical wave over Atlantic Ocean The Weather Authority is watching a tropical disturbance over the Central Atlantic Ocean.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral drug bust leads investigators to fake fentanyl, cash and guns Cape Coral man arrest on drug charges. Investigators said they found, guns, drugs, and more than $32,000 in Richard Riley’s home.
NAPLES Naples youth flag football team to compete in Ohio tournament This weekend, the Naples Lunatics Green will compete in the Superhero Sports tournament in Canton, Ohio.
ALVA Woodpeckers build home in Alva woman’s house You may have heard of squatters, but this woman is dealing with squawkers. Who needs a rooster to wake up when you have woodpeckers?
FORT MYERS Man claims he was trapped in a high-rise for 5 days A 77-year-old man wants justice after he claims he spent days trapped on the 24th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmate State Attorney Amira Fox convened a grand jury, which decided to move forward with a case against a Charlotte Correctional inmate.
SANIBEL Construction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns While many eagle nests may be a bit difficult to see, one nest has always been a favorite for Sanibel residents and tourists.
The environmental effects of artificial sweeteners Experts are studying how the foods we eat affect the environment, especially after we flush our waste down the toilet.
Victim reacts to man exposing himself to her Ring camera You get a notification on your phone from your ring camera app that someone is at the door, only to find out it is someone exposing themselves. It’s the last thing victim Maria Kivi wanted or expected to see last week.
LEE COUNTY The art of capturing your eye and drawing you in How do you capture young, hip, trendy, fun, movers and shakers, all in a pose? We take you behind the scenes of a Gulfshore Life cover shoot.
FORT MYERS The lives of two SJC Boxers changed in the ring Two SJC Boxers, Mario Nunez and Arbon Kurtishi, help each other in the ring as each of them had their lives changed because of boxing.
FORT MYERS Chlamydia cases rising sharply in Lee County If you think about a crowded space- something with more than 250 people- if it’s in Lee county, statistically one person has chlamydia.
SANIBEL Sanibel resort day passes hope to get more business on the island A pass will allow vacationers to hang out at a Sanibel beach club for a day in hopes of drumming up some business.
Voting equipment tested ahead of Lee County elections Voting equipment is being tested in Lee County. This is to ensure all ballots are printed and counted correctly for the upcoming election.
Collier County teen assaulted after leaving party The teen has been charged and the sheriff’s office said they’re aware that many believe felony charges are in order, but under Florida law, there are very specific criteria that must be met for felony charges to be filed.
WINK weather team watching tropical wave over Atlantic Ocean The Weather Authority is watching a tropical disturbance over the Central Atlantic Ocean.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral drug bust leads investigators to fake fentanyl, cash and guns Cape Coral man arrest on drug charges. Investigators said they found, guns, drugs, and more than $32,000 in Richard Riley’s home.
NAPLES Naples youth flag football team to compete in Ohio tournament This weekend, the Naples Lunatics Green will compete in the Superhero Sports tournament in Canton, Ohio.
Prescription Drugs Sharon Downey says it’s tough getting old. “I probably take 15 or 20 in the course of a day, so cost and medicines to me are very important,” Downey said. While she has both health insurance and Medicare, Downey says they don’t really save her when it comes to prescriptions or medicines. So, she supplements those benefits with direct primary care membership. Direct primary care means Downey pays her doctor, Dr. Rebekah Bernard, a monthly fee for unlimited visits. There is no insurance company involved, no deductible, no middleman. And that direct relationship is how Downey saves money on prescriptions. “What Dr. Bernard saves me on the cost of medication more than covers the $75 that I pay her a month as a monthly fee,” Downey said. Dr. Bernard, who owns Gulf Coast Direct Primary Care in South Fort Myers, also has a dispensary license and buys her generics directly from the supplier, passing the savings onto her clients. “I can get pretty much any generic medication for my patients at just a fraction of the cost,” Bernard said. Downey recalls a time when she went to the pharmacy for a drug and it was $350. “I went in to see Dr. Bernard. I said this one’s costing an arm and a leg. She ordered that same drug for $60 a bottle,” Downey said. Why the price difference? Athos Health CEO and health care billing advocate Jon Hess says it’s not the pharmacy marking prices up, but a middleman called pharmacy benefits managers. “Historically they’ve taken a huge profit,” Hess said. Pharmacy benefits managers or PBM’s work like an arm of an insurance company, handling the “pharmaceutical stuff,” like what drugs will be covered and how much they’ll cost. Direct primary care and cash price programs like GoodRX or Singlecare, either cut out PBM’s altogether or reduce the profit margin. “They’re not getting the drugs from the manufacturer any cheaper than the employer plan is, or other plans out there. But they are not taking the same profit margin off the PBM insurance side,” Hess said. Other ways to save If you have insurance, Hess says to go to the drug company’s website and look for a copay card. “For Humira, you see advertisements for Humira, they’ll pay up to $24,000 a year of your costs,” Hess said. If you have Medicare, look for patient assistance programs or subsidy programs instead of copay cards or coupons. Under federal law, Medicare patients can’t use drugmakers’ discount cards or coupons. MORE: Medicare Fraud & Abuse: Prevent Detect, Report “You can still have substantial income. I found one where a family of two, as long as you made less $125,000 and you’re Medicare, they would cover the drug for free, your portion,” Hess said. Also, ask your doctor about free samples. Dr. Bernard, for example, helps manage Downey’s insulin costs by providing free samples. Publix Supermarket also offers certain high blood pressure, diabetes medications, and antibiotics for free. When comparing prices on cash sites, be sure to include Costco and Sam’s Club because neither requires a membership to purchase from their pharmacy. What about generic? Buying generic medications can save big bucks. But Hess warns to check with your insurance company first. He says in some cases, just the name-brand drugs are covered. “I see this more and more, and I didn’t hear about this two years ago,” Hess said.