Anoka County Press Release
For Immediate
Release
Jerry Soma, Anoka County Human Services Division Manager
763-422-7008 |
March 24, 2008 |
FREE CARD HELPS REDUCE MEDICATION COSTS
Anoka County Seniors among the
Benefactors
Senior citizens, as well as
any residents of Anoka County, can obtain a free prescription drug
discount card to assist in paying for some prescription drugs. The
card, promoted by the National Association of Counties, can help
lower out-of-pocket expenses, according to Anoka County Commissioner
Rhonda Sivarajah, chair of the county’s human services committee.
“The prescription
discount card can give individuals, regardless of age, income or
insurance, from 13-34 percent savings on some medications,”
Commissioner Sivarajah said. “They’ll get the savings at the time
they make the purchase.”
The discounts even apply to
veterinary prescriptions for pets purchased at pharmacies.
The card is available by
calling Anoka County, 763-323-5700. No application is required.
Residents must only supply their name and address. One card can
assist the resident’s entire family.
The National Association of
Counties (NACo) brokered the cost savings program with Caremark, a
national pharmacy services provider, on behalf of counties
nationwide. Since 2004, Americans have saved more than $39 million
on 3.7 million prescriptions.
The prescription drug discount
card cannot be used in conjunction with other prescription drug
insurance on any one purchase, but it can reduce the price of
medications not covered by insurance plans. The card can be used at
any participating pharmacy in Anoka County. Residents can locate
participating pharmacies or get more information about how to use
the card by calling the Caremark pharmacy phone number listed on the
back of the card. A company representative will request the
individual’s prescription discount card identification number in
order to assist them.
Anoka County joined the
prescription discount card pilot program to help residents save
medication costs, but the impact may be especially important for its
roughly 26,000 senior citizens.
“Today more than ever, seniors
need extra strategies to manage their drug costs,” said Commissioner
Sivarajah.
Many seniors are faced with
increasing costs for Medicare Part D. The
Center for Economic and Policy Research
recently released information indicating the average U.S. senior
citizen will face a 24.5 percent premium hike during 2007-08. In
addition to the rise in Medicare premiums, some seniors experience
problems receiving drug coverage under certain phases of Medicare
Part D. The free discount prescription card can help alleviate
rising costs for seniors and others affected by Medicare Part D
rules, fixed incomes, and the increasing prices of prescriptions.
According to the New England
Journal of Medicine, serious consequences exist if seniors do not
have a back-up plan to cover the difference in drug coverage
Medicare D provides and required out-of-pocket expenses. Statistics
indicate they are roughly 22 percent more likely to die than
individuals who have additional coverage and avoid high
out-of-pocket expenses.
Medicare D generally
operates in three phases. During the initial coverage period,
beneficiaries may pay a deductible and about 25 percent of their
drug costs. Seniors and other
Medicare recipients who have high medication costs may enter the
second phase of the cycle, called the “doughnut hole.” In
this phase, the total cost of their drugs used
in the current Medicare enrollment year
ranges between $2,550 and $5,100. While in the doughnut hole,
individuals must pay 100 percent of their medication costs if they
do not have additional drug coverage. Estimates vary, but experts
indicate that 3-7 million seniors entered the doughnut hole in 2006.
Seniors may be surprised by
the formula for determining the total cost of drugs. The formula
includes out-of-pocket co-pays and roughly 75 percent of the costs
their plan has paid for them. It does not include their
premiums. This means that the $2,250 threshold for slipping into the
doughnut hole will happen more quickly than many individuals
anticipate.
Medicare provides 95 percent
drug coverage or “catastrophic coverage,” which involves low
co-pays, for beneficiaries reaching the third phase of the Medicare
D cycle. Individuals in the third phase will have surpassed $5,100
in total drug costs. Medicare D coverage plans restart each year,
with a new cycle of three drug coverage phases and changes in
prices, plans, and other factors.
Seniors and their families
should seek clarification on how the Medicare D formula may affect
them. Mark McClellan, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid, suggests “... beneficiaries concerned about the doughnut
hole can reduce their drug costs by switching to generic
medications, using state assistance programs and switching to a new
drug plan next year that includes some coverage during the doughnut
hole.”
The discount prescription drug
card promoted by Anoka County is one more tool to add to these
suggestions.
For more information about the
discount prescription card program, call Anoka County at
763-323-5700.
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page last updated -
03/25/2008
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