Drug Discounts For Uninsured

Ten drug manufacturers announced a new discount program Tuesday that they say could help low-income uninsured Americans save much as 25-40 percent on some brand-name prescription medications.

The companies say they will immediately begin issuing discount cards similar to those currently held by some Medicare beneficiaries. The cards will be free.

Cards are restricted to patients under 65 without public or private drug coverage who have a combined household income under $30,000 for individuals, $40,000 for couples, and $60,000 for a family of four.

Companies expect as many as 80 percent of the 45 million Americans lacking health insurance to be eligible for the cards and firms hope to sign up as many as 1 million patients in the first year of the program, according to Roba Whiteley, executive director of the entity marketing the card, called Together Rx Access.

"The participating companies are determined to help as many patients as possible start saving on prescription medications as quickly as possible," she says.

The card will allow bearers to get varying discounts on selected drugs at participating pharmacies, but is not valid for mail-order purchases, Whiteley tells WebMD. More than half of chain and independent pharmacies are expected to participate.

Actual levels of discounts will be set for each drug by manufacturers and are likely to vary from pharmacy to pharmacy. Approximately 275 brand-name drugs were included on a list released Tuesday, including popular medications such as Lipitor for high cholesterol, the heartburn/ulcer drug Nexium, Allegra-D pills for allergies, and Viagra for erectile dysfunction.

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson praises the program as an important step in extending health services to persons who normally cannot afford to fill prescriptions. A similar program promoting private but Medicare-endorsed prescription discount cards for seniors has been in effect since last spring but has been somewhat hindered by low sign-up rates and confusion among seniors.

"I'm sure there are some cynics out there who will say that's not enough, but it's a wonderful program," Thompson says of the new cards, which go into effect starting in mid-February.

Whiteley tells WebMD that pharmacies had agreed to share the cost of the discounts with manufacturers but would not give an example of the sharing arrangements, calling them proprietary. Some generic drugs are also expected to be offered with the program, though it remained unclear which drugs from which companies could see retail discounts.

Companies agreeing to offer some of their drugs for discounts include Abbott Laboratories, AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, GlaxoSmithKline, Janssen Pharmaceutical Products, Novartis, Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer, Sanofi Aventis, Takeda, and TAP Pharmaceutical Products, Inc.

Patients can check eligibility or apply for the program at www.togetherrxaccess.com or by calling 1-800-444-4106.

Sources: Roba Whiteley, executive director, Together Rx Access. Tommy G. Thompson, Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

By Todd Zwillich
Reviewed by Michael W. Smith, MD
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