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Tuesday, July 13, 2004
For best drug discounts, uninsured Mainers must do homework
Copyright © 2004 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc. | ||
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Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer just announced new initiatives to make drugs more affordable for people without prescription coverage. But before Mainers can enjoy savings, they need to figure out where they will get the steepest discount. The price of a month's supply of cholesterol-lowering Lipitor could drop nearly 34 percent, to $52.71 from $79.58, for people who earn as much as three times the federal poverty level, according to the company. But very low-income Mainers who are Medicare-eligible can get a Medicare discount card that allows them to pay just a flat fee of $15 for a month. Identifying the best deal is the tricky task facing many of the 275,000-plus Mainers who go without prescription coverage at a time when drug costs are rising steadily. Uninsured people used to price-shop at retail pharmacies. Now, they study a myriad of drug assistance programs, which have become more available as political support grows for importing cheaper medication from Canada, where there are price controls. The search for discounts is further complicated by the fact that many people with chronic diseases use drugs from multiple makers. "This is really a case where there are both more opportunities and challenges for consumers," said Tricia Neuman, a vice president with the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, which studies health care. "Often, it just takes leg work," Neuman said. "It takes using the Internet to compare programs, and so it can be a very individualized process." How does one begin? A good starting point is the Web site www.rxcaresforme.org. Since the site was unveiled by the pharmaceutical industry last summer, about 600 Mainers have successfully found an appropriate drug assistance program, said Wanda Moebius, spokeswoman for Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Research of America. Type in eligibility criteria, and the drugs that you're interested in, and the Web site will match you with a government or private discount program. For those who use Pfizer products, the company appears to offer the most potential for savings. Starting in August, Pfizer will provide an average savings of 37 percent on drugs to individuals earning less than 300 percent of the federal poverty level - below $30,000 a year - and families earning less than $45,000. Anybody who earns more than that can still enjoy average savings of 15 percent - the same discount that the state program Maine Rx Plus gives on brand-name drugs. Pfizer is also expanding an existing drug assistance program that gives away medication to individuals earning less than $19,000 a year and families with income under $31,000. Once the program begins, Pfizer will open a Web site and help line. "We can't solve the bigger issue of lack of insurance, but what we can do is help people get access to our own medication," said spokesman Jack Cox. But what if you have prescriptions for multiple drug makers? Internet research may help you patch together a quilt of drug assistance programs. Or you could go through the state's drug assistance programs, which cover many prescriptions. In Maine's Low Cost Drugs for the Elderly and Disabled Program, savings amount to about 80 percent on certain treatments for 14 chronic illnesses, such as diabetes and asthma. To qualify, you must be over 62 - or over 19 and disabled - and earn less than 185 percent of the poverty level - about $17,232 for an individual and $23,112 for a couple . "In most cases, if the drug is covered under (Drugs for the Elderly), then it's going to be their best benefit," said Newell Augur, spokesman for the Department of Human Services. If generic drugs dominate your medicine cabinet, the state's Maine Rx Plus program may be particularly helpful. The 100,000 enrollees in Maine Rx Plus - who earn less than 350 percent of the poverty level and include members of Drugs for the Elderly - can get as much as 60 percent off the same generic products available through the state's Medicaid program. For more information, call the state's drug assistance program at 1-866-Rx-Maine. Senior citizens can call the Maine Health Insurance Counseling Program at 1-877-353-3771.
Staff Writer Josie Huang can be contacted at 791-6364 or at:
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