Uninsured Americans by the millions could save money on prescriptions through a discount program unveiled by 10 major pharma companies.
The Together Rx Access Card program allows those meeting income and age requirements to save between 25 percent – 40 percent or more on over 275 brand name prescription drugs and a host of generic drugs.
Participants can sign up and use the program at no cost.
Companies taking part in the program include Abbott; AstraZeneca; Bristol-Myers Squibb; GlaxoSmithKline; Johnson & Johnson divisions Janssen Pharmaceutica and Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical; Novartis; Pfizer; sanofi-aventis Group; Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America and TAP Pharmaceutical Products.
Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson called the program a pragmatic way to give the uninsured access to prescription medicines and may stem the tide of those looking to Canada for those medications at a lower cost.
To qualify for the card, applicants must be under 65, not eligible for Medicare and have no other private or public drug coverage. They also must have incomes no higher than $30,000 for a single person, $40,000 for couples and $60,000 for a family of four.
Together Rx Access said the benefits could cover 80 percent of the 45 million Americans who are uninsured and don’t carry prescription drug coverage – a number that has grown from over 40 million just four years ago.
Those who qualify for the program are invited to enroll by visiting the Web site www.TogetherRxAccess.com or by calling 1-800-444-4106. The card will be effective by mid-February.