(09/02) One essential ingredient in politics is timing. It seems that prescription drugs have been highlighted as the key political issue this year and it’s getting a lot of attention.

Sen. Phil Gramm from Texas, in a presentation to the Senate on C-Span, indicated Medical coverage by the government consumes 15 cents of every dollar earned. By 2030, that will increase to 30 cents and if prescription drug legislation is passed by congress, it could increase to 40 cents. Those numbers are astounding. Yet Congress seems oblivious because the cost of various prescription remedies keeps growing and could approach $1 trillion over a 10 year period.

Senior citizens, who are the largest growing voting block are the biggest consumers of prescription drugs and are most affected by drug prices. Their lobbying group is powerful and relentless in their quest. Most of the cost will fall on working taxpayers.

In a recent article written by Jim Frogue entitled “Prescription Drug Discount Cards - Real Relief for Seniors?” the average person over 65 spent $822 on prescription and non-prescription drugs in 2000 and $3,652 for food. So in comparison, drug costs on average aren’t catastrophic but can seniors do better?

The idea of prescription drug discount cards has now entered into the debate. Seniors have been using these cards for some time to pay reduced prices for everything from food to movie tickets. By leveraging their numbers, seniors can bargain with producers and suppliers for lower rates without any government intervention.

I recently got a letter from an alliance of pharmaceutical companies announcing the creation of the Together Rx™ Card. It is a free and easy-to-use card that will provide costs savings on a broad range of prescription medicines for qualified Medicare beneficiaries with no other public or private prescription coverage.

The cardholders can save from approximately 20 percent to 40 percent or more on 150 medicines. In some cases, free medicine could be provided to those with more limited income. The companies that formed this alliance are Abbott Laboratories, Aventis, AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson and Novartis.

The Together Rx™ card is available at no charge to Medicare enrollees who lack public or private prescription drug coverage, and have incomes under $28,000 per year ($38,000 for couples). Those who quality can immediately enroll in the Together Rx™ Card free of charge by calling 1-800-865-7211 or visiting www.together-rx.com. Enrollment forms and information also will be available through participating pharmacies, as well as in physicians’ offices.

Pfizer, Inc. has a Share Card™ and for $15, a person can get a 30 day supply of any Pfizer drug and two co-promoted drugs. To be eligble, a person must be 65 years of age or otherwise a Medicare enrollee with an individual gross income of less than $18,000 or joint gross income of less than $24,0000 and no other prescription coverage. No enrollment fee is required and applications can be obtained by calling 1-800-717-6005.

Thank you for your calls and notes. I can be reached at 658-3975 (home), 228-2228 (State House) and via e-mail.

Rep. Frank Mazur
South Burlington