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Representative Ro Foege
Report from the Iowa Legislature
July 7, 2002
Addressing the High Cost of Prescription Drugs
Many constituents have expressed concern about the high cost of prescription drugs. So far, little has been accomplished in the political arena to address the concern even though there have been attempts at both the state and national level. Congress is discussing a prescription drug benefit through the Medicare program, but so far, it has not come about. The current bill in Congress could actually cost senior citizens more out-of-pocket than our current practice!
The State of Iowa developed a prescription benefit program through the efforts of Senator Harkin and Governor Vilsack, with the assistance of the Iowa Pharmacy Association. In response to state supported benefit programs, a number of drug manufacturers have also developed their own benefit programs. All of these programs can be quite confusing. With the help and research of my colleague, Rep. Mark Smith of Marshalltown, this article contains a listing of currently known prescription drug benefit programs.
You are encouraged to check out the programs carefully to see which ones best serve your needs. Your community pharmacist is your best resource for accurate information and he or she is willing to take time to help you understand which plan may benefit you. Always talk with your doctor, too, about medication costs as they might have other ways to assist you.
Iowa Priority: Every Medicare-eligible Iowan can join Iowa. Participants pay an annual fee of $20 to receive the discounts, which vary with each medication. Iowans can sign up by calling 1-866-282-5817. Enrollment forms can be found at your neighborhood pharmacy or at
www.iowapriority.org. Recently, efforts were undertaken to improve this program, and your local pharmacist actually provides those improvements, not the pharmaceutical manufacturers. The cost sharing is picked up by the pharmacy. You are encouraged to review the program carefully with your pharmacist.
Merck Patient Assistance Program: There are no application fees, no co-payments, no age restrictions, or proof of income required. Generally, this program assists people with incomes below $18,000 for individuals and $24,000 for couples. However, they do make exceptions on a case-by-case basis. Interested persons should call 1-800-727-5400 or go to
www.merck.com.
Novartis Care Card: Individuals with annual incomes up to $18,000 and couples up to $24,000 may qualify for a flat $12.00 prescription fee. Higher incomes may qualify for 25-40% discounts on prescriptions. Interested persons should call 1-866974-2273 or go to
www.novartis.com.
Lilly Answers Initiative: Available to seniors with an annual income of $18,000 for an individual or up to $24,000 for a couple. The person cannot have other prescription drug coverage. Eligible seniors pay a flat $12 fee for any 30-day supply of a Lilly Drug. For more information, call 1-877-RX-LILLY to request an application. The web site is
www.lilly.com.
Pfizer Share Card: Available to Medicare beneficiaries with annual incomes up to $18,000 ($24,000 household). Participants cannot have other drug coverage. Eligible persons pay $15 for a 30-day supply of a Pfizer drug at participating pharmacies. Interested persons should call 1-800-717-6005 or their web site,
www.pfizer.com.
GlaxoSmithKline Orange Card: Available to Medicare beneficiaries with annual incomes up to $26,000 ($35,000 per household), and no other drug coverage. This program offers at least 25% off the wholesale price for the company's drugs at participating pharmacies. There is no cost to enroll. Interested persons should call 1-888-672-6436 or visit their web site at
www.gsk.com.
Together Rx Card is now available to people with Medicare with annual income less than $28,000 (individuals) or $38,000 (couples) and may not have other prescription drug coverage. A number of pharmaceutical companies have now joined together to offer a prescription card for people enrolled in Medicare. This card provides savings on 150 prescription medicines from Abbott Laboratories, AstraZeneca, Aventis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Bristol Myers Squibb Company, GlaxoSmithKline, Janssen Pharmaceutica Products, L.P., Novartis, and Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, Inc.
There is no fee to enroll in the program. Savings are estimated at 20-40% off the list price to wholesalers and are provided to enrollees at participating pharmacies. An application is available by calling 1-800-865-7211 or going to their web site at
www.Together-Rx.com. The web site also lists the prescription drugs covered by the card.
The Internet has other resources that may help: www.medicare.org;
www.rxassist.org; www.needymeds.com.
Although many of you may not have access to a computer and the Internet, public libraries often have computers and library staff are very helpful in obtaining information. In fact, the Cole Library at Cornell College recently sponsored a workshop on how to obtain health information on the web. You can write me at the P. O. Box 128, Mount Vernon, IA 52314; call 895-6043 or e-mail me at
ro.foege@legis.state.ia.us.
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