While Washington continues to debate prescription
drug coverage for Medicare recipients, the rising federal
deficit reminds politicians that such a program would cost
hundreds of millions of dollars, and no one knows where
the money will come from.
Meanwhile, pharmaceutical companies offer
meager discounts, drug store chains do the same, and physicians
with consciences help patients use cooperative online buying
services to fill prescriptions at significant savings in
Canada. Some Vermonters jump the border by the busload to
purchase drugs themselves in Canada, while Governor Dean
encourages them to take advantage of the astonishingly more
affordable pricing.
At the request of Congressman Bernie Sanders,
two government studies investigated pricing of ten leading
drugs taken by the elderly. The reports concluded that Vermont's
senior citizens pay an average of 81% more for prescriptions
than Canadians, and 112% more than Mexican
consumers.
Because drug companies give deep discounts
to favored customers like HMOs and insurance companies,
older Americans who pay for their own medications are charged
more, often twice as much. Pharmaceutical companies are
profiting at the expense of America's elderly. What are
the options for seniors who often must decide between paying
bills, eating healthy food, or filling their prescriptions?
The United Health Alliance (UHA), a Bennington
physician's cooperative, buys drugs through Canadian pharmacies
at substantial savings. For instance, 100 tablets of the
arthritis drug Celebrex (100 mg.) costs $58.71 through UHA,
compared with $154.49 at a grocery store pharmacy. Lipitor
(10 mg.), for lowering cholesterol, costs $121.99, compared
to $208.99 at a local Vermont pharmacy.
To order through UHA requires three steps:
get a prescription from your doctor, go online and print
out the two forms for pharmacy service, and FAX the forms
and prescription to the online pharmacy. Medications are
sent directly to the consumer, who pays shipping and handling.
For more information call UHA toll free or log onto their
website (see Resources below).
Prescription drug assistance cards are available
from several major drug companies, drug store chains, and
private and state programs. With scores of drug assistance
cards available it can be confusing, and discounts are as
small as 10%, with added user fees. In brief, four of the
top drug companies offer these discount plans of their own
non-generic drugs:
- Novartis Care Card: requires annual individual
income at or below $26,000, 30-40% discount on Novartis
drugs.
- Pfizer Share Card: income at or below
$18,000, $15 flat fee for each 30-day supply of Pfizer
drugs.
- Lilly Answers Card: income at or below
$18,000, $12 flat fee for 30-day supply of Lilly drugs.
- GlaxoSmithKline Orange Card: income at
or below $26,000, 30-40% discount on their drugs.
Caveats? Be advised that a card is only
good for that manufacturer's drugs, so it's smart to get
them all if you take several medications. The burden is
on the user to identify which company makes which drug.
In addition, some companies issue cards only to seniors
without insurance coverage, and health-care advocates feel
the required income levels are set too low.
In a recent poll most Americans felt it
is more important for the government to help the uninsured
get insurance than it is to provide seniors with help paying
for prescription drugs. Until congress stops viewing it
as an either/or choice, drug costs and medical care will
remain out of reach for struggling Americans. Lawmakers
continue to wrestle with the issues while drug costs soar
and drug companies offer skimpy discounts, leaving many
elders to face some tough decisions alone.
RESOURCES
- Medicare Prescription Drug Assistance
Program: online help in identifying discount drug programs
(www.medicare.gov/Prescription/Home.asp)
- Senior Help Line: for information on
Vermont's VHAP and VSCRIPT programs and discount drug
card options (800-642-5119)
- United Health Alliance: for online purchase
of drugs through Canada www.unitedhealthalliance.com
(866-633-7482)
- Vermont Bridge Program: can explain how
drug company discount cards work (866-887-4276)
