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Medicare Cards Provide “Substantial Savings” for
Those with Chronic Disease, Says Medicare Study
July 14, 2004 – A new study released yesterday
shows those with chronic diseases can gain substantial savings on drug
costs with the Medicare drug program, according to Tommy G. Thompson,
Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. He says
savings can be from 10 to 75 percent off the prices Americans typically
pay.
“The overwhelming majority of Medicare
beneficiaries suffer from chronic conditions like high blood pressure,
heart disease and arthritis,” Secretary Thompson said. “The new
Medicare discount drug card is helping seniors get greater access to
life-saving medicines at a much lower cost. I urge beneficiaries with
chronic conditions who don’t have good drug coverage to get in touch
with Medicare about the new drug card, so they can start taking
advantage of these substantial savings right away.”
Eighty-seven percent of Medicare’s 41 million
enrollees reported having at least one chronic health condition in
2002. Most beneficiaries—59 percent—report having high blood pressure;
56 percent have some form of arthritis; 30 percent say they have heart
disease; and, 17 percent report having depression or some other
psychiatric illness. Diabetes is also quite common with one in five
beneficiaries reporting they have the disease.
“Many older Americans have to take medicines every
day to control their chronic conditions, and to prevent complications
that can be life-threatening,” said CMS Administrator Mark B. McClellan,
M.D., Ph.D. “Beneficiaries who have been struggling with the high costs
of chronic illnesses can get double-digit savings right now – amounting
to hundreds of dollars in help over the rest of this year. And
beneficiaries with low-incomes who have chronic diseases no longer have
to make tough choices between paying for their medicines and the other
necessities of life like food and heat.”
In conducting the study, CMS examined the prices of
23 drugs used to treat these and other common conditions like acid
reflux, congestive heart failure, diabetes, depression, hypertension and
high cholesterol. For 22 out of the 23 drugs reviewed, percentage
savings were in the double digits off national average retail pharmacy
prices paid by typical Americans.
For example, a beneficiary in Portland, Oregon who
suffers from hypertension could enroll in a Medicare-approved discount
card, can purchase a generic drug like Lisinopril to treat her condition
and save 45 percent over the price an average American would pay.
A beneficiary with an acid reflux condition in
Boston, Massachusetts, could save 19 percent off the national average
retail price for Aciphex by enrolling in the Medicare-approved drug
discount card with the best price for this drug—a savings of almost $26
per month.
In Pittsburgh, a beneficiary could save about $30
per month over national average retail prices by enrolling the
Medicare-approved drug discount card with the best price for Pravachol,
a drug used to treat high cholesterol.
These beneficiaries can even save more than they
would purchasing medicine through the Internet. Mail-order savings
through the Medicare discount card for drugs used to treat chronic
illnesses are generally seven to 24 percent lower than the prices at
popular U. S. Internet pharmacies.
Dr. McClellan added, “Prescription medicines play a
critical role in curing and controlling diseases. The new discount
card benefit offered by Medicare is already providing access to
cutting-edge drugs for almost four million seniors, allowing them to
improve their quality of life at a lower cost.”
Medicare beneficiaries who do not have Medicaid are
eligible for a Medicare-approved drug discount card. Beneficiaries
whose income in 2004 is not more than $12,569 if single, or no more than
$16,862 if married (including their spouse’s income), may qualify for
the $600 credit this year and again in 2005.
It is simple for Medicare beneficiaries to learn
more and have their questions answered about this new benefit.
Counselors are available 24 hours a day through Medicare’s toll-free
hotline, 1-800-MEDICARE. To expedite service, beneficiaries should have
the following information ready when they call:
Their zip code;
Their drugs and
dosages (having the bottles in hand can help);
Their monthly
income.
CMS operators will send a personalized report that
includes a list of the lowest cost cards and the pharmacies where they
are accepted with an application so they can make a decision about which
card is best and apply directly to the card sponsor.
The full study can be viewed at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/media/press/files/disease_specific_savings.pdf |
