Lowering Prescription Drug Costs: This Holiday Season, the Best Gift is the Gift of Health

By Emanuela P. Lima

But now a local agency is offering a program that can help.

The program is the FamilyWize discount prescription drug card distributed by the United Way of Western Connecticut.

The United Way has been working tirelessly to get a copy of the discount prescription drug card into the hands of the area's uninsured population. The program aims at those who don't have insurance or who need medicines not covered by their current insurance plans. The card gives them a discount of 30% or more on all prescription drugs in most major and locally owned pharmacies.

"In this day and age, everyone needs a little help," said Michael Johnston, CEO of the United Way of Western Connecticut.

The FamilyWize community service partnership was established in 2005 by philanthropists Dan and Susan Barnes to reduce the cost of medicine for people who live and work in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania. United Way and other non-profit agencies heard about the program and began asking if they could get cards for their communities.

More than 25,000 community and faith-based organizations, county agencies, doctors, pharmacies, companies, and individuals across the country have now joined together in this partnership to distribute free FamilyWize Prescription Drug Discount Cards to the uninsured.

"It was a very easy program for United Way of Western Connecticut to get involved - an opportunity to have a direct impact on anyone who has a need," said Johnston.

According to Families USA, about 28,100 Connecticut residents will lose their health coverage in 2009 because they have lost their jobs. By the end of the year, the state will be home to 303,000 uninsured adults, a number that can be increased by tens of thousands when adding the state's undocumented immigrant population.

A Pew Hispanic Center report published last spring estimates Connecticut's undocumented population to be between 100,000 and 200,000. The study also estimates that more than half of adult undocumented immigrants (59 percent) in the United States have no health insurance. Among their children, nearly half of those who are undocumented (45 percent) were uninsured and 25 percent of those who were U.S.-born were uninsured as well.

The FamilyWize card has no registration fee and no income, age, or immigration status requirements, and it may be used by everyone in the household as often as needed.

In response to our community's urgent need and in support of United Way's efforts, Tribuna Newspaper will be publishing the FamilyWize discount prescription card for the next three months.

"This holiday season, the best gift is the gift of health," said Tribuna Publisher Celia Bacelar. "The state of our nation's healthcare system erases the lines between American citizens, documented, and undocumented immigrants, as millions all fall under one category: the uninsured."

For Bacelar, initiatives like the FamilyWize program by United Way offer great relief for these families and workers and an opportunity for Tribuna to improve the quality of life of its readers."Information is power - in this case, the power to help heal your neighbor. If you or someone you know are uninsured, please cut out the card on this page and use it or pass it along," Bacelar said.

"We can't thank the Tribuna enough. Any way we can reach the community, and in particular the ethnic populations in our area, is extremely valuable. We want to make sure that everyone has access to the program," said Johnston.

How it works

The FamilyWize Prescription Drug Discount Card enables you to receive discounted pricing on prescription drugs.

It can offer immediate savings on prescription drugs at participating pharmacies for people with no health insurance, during deductible periods and for prescription medicine not covered by health insurance, Medicare and other benefit plans. The program is not insurance, nor is it intended to replace insurance. Simply present your FamilyWize card with each prescription from your doctor to the participating pharmacy at the time of purchase to receive your discounts. If you need to transfer a prescription, bring your empty prescription bottle or label with you to the pharmacy.

Save an average of up to 30 percent or more off the pharmacy's usual and customary retail price of prescription drugs, with the highest savings on generic drugs. Your cost will be the discount price with the FamilyWize card or the pharmacy's usual and customary retail price, whichever is lower. This means you are assured the lowest price in that store at the time you purchase the prescription medicine. If the pharmacy's price is lower, there is no savings or discount and the Family- Wize card cannot lower the co-pay for medicine covered by insurance.

You can visit www.familywize.org, click on the "look up drug prices" tag and see an estimated cost of your prescription drug with the discount.

FamilyWize program participating pharmacies in your area include:

Danbury: Wal-Mart Pharmacy, Stop & Shop Pharmacy, Rite Aid Pharmacy, Super Foodmart Pharmacy, Walgreens, Target and Danbury Pharmacy.

Waterbury: Arrow Prescription Center, Beacon Prescriptions-Waterbury, Bunker Hill Pharmacy, Costco Pharmacy, Della Pietra Pharmacy Price Chopper Pharmacy, Stop & Shop Pharmacy, Walgreens, Shoprite Pharmacy, Supervalu DBA Shaws Pharmacy, Wal-Mart Pharmacy , Walgreens, W H Pickett Drug Co, Target and Waterbury Pharmacy

Bridgeport: Arrow Prescription Center, Ethical Pharmacy, Hancock Pharmacy, Lupes Drug Store, Rite Aid Pharmacy, Stop & Shop Pharmacy, Walgreens and Bridgeport Pharmacy.

Anyone interesting in joining with the United Way of Western CT and Tribuna Newspaper to display these cards can call our newsroom at (203) 730- 0457 for more information.