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Best Kept Secret
Relief does exist when it comes to the cost of prescription drugs

Laurie Wink
The News-Dispatch

MICHIGAN CITY - The Indiana Drug Card is a free prescription assistance program that's been available to Hoosiers since July. But the program appears to be a secret to many in Michigan City who could possibly benefit from it.

The Indiana Drug Card gives a discount on generic and brand-name prescription drugs. Hoosiers of any age and income level can get a card without filling out an application or filing claim forms.

The card can be downloaded from the Web site www.indianadrugcard.com or obtained from any CVS pharmacy in Indiana, according to Doug Simms, development director of Indiana Drug Card. He said 30,000 people have used the discount card since July.

"A lot of different pharmacies participate," Simms said. "It can be used throughout the United States at 50,000 pharmacies."

The program is funded through participating pharmacies and pharmaceutical companies. Simms said the discounted drug programs began to emerge in the early 2000s after people had been flocking to Canada to purchase their medications at much lower rates than they were paying in the United States.

The Indiana Drug Card is intended to help uninsured and under-insured Indiana residents, but it can be used by those with health insurance when certain drugs are not covered.

Sandra and Richard Bennett, Michigan City, stopped by a Walgreens pharmacy on Franklin Street on Wednesday morning and were surprised to hear about the Indiana Drug Card.

"We were not aware of it," Sandra Bennett said. "We have medical insurance, but we're not happy because we're paying big bucks."

They'd never been offered any information about the card and wanted to know more about it.

Stephanie Lindsborg, who was at the Walgreens pharmacy with her baby daughter, said she had never heard of the Indiana Drug Card and thought it could help her mother, Kathy Linsemeyer.

"She has two jobs, but doesn't have insurance," she said. "She has trouble filling her heart medicine and has been skipping days." Jennifer Goodloe had not heard of the Indiana Drug Card. Although she's satisfied with her $10 co-pay for prescriptions, she said her parents are paying out of pocket, and their medications can get expensive.

"My dad is diabetic, and he had to have a toe removed," she said. "It cost $100 for a tube of antibiotics that was used twice."

Information about the Indiana Drug Card is posted on Michigan City's Web site at www.emichigancity.com under the heading City News. Mayor Chuck Oberlie has endorsed the card through the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns, which is helping promote it. "I have not heard from anyone who is participating," Oberlie said. "With the economy as it is, the program would appear to offer some relief for those using prescription drugs."

Indiana is not the only state to offer its residents a discount drug card. Also, some pharmacies provide their own drug discounts that may or may not be better than other available discounts.

Fagen Pharmacy offers $4 generic medications at all 22 locations, including the one on Franklin Street in Michigan City. Its "uninsured program" provides discounts on all medications and offers the lowest prescription price available, according to Fagen pharmacist Traci Wozniak.

"We don't use them (Indiana drug cards) because our uninsured prices tend to be cheaper," she said.

Walmart has offered $4 prescriptions on certain drugs for several years and the number keeps expanding, according to Shirley Cosmetka, manager of the pharmacy department at the Michigan City Walmart.

"We had 300 drugs at first, and now there are about a thousand drugs," said Cosmetka, who has 10 years of service at Walmart. "We've almost tripled the use since I came here."

She said customers have become aware of the $4 prescription prices mostly through word of mouth. Walmart distributes a list of its low-cost drugs and also provides people with free discount drug cards.

"If people don't have an insurance card, we give them out," she said. "It's a good deal."

The discount drug cards available at Walmart are part of the USA Drug Plan offered through HealthTrans, a pharmacy benefits management company for hundreds of companies. HealthTrans representative Noel Hulliberger said the amount of the discount provided ranges from 10 to 85 percent, with the higher discounts given for generic medications.

Prices are calculated based on the pharmacy's regular price, the manufacturer's price and the national generic price, Hulliberger said. She said the number of discount drug programs is skyrocketing.

"Discount cards, especially in this economy, are absolutely taking off," she said. "There are a lot of people without jobs and can't afford insurance."

The one catch with these cards, Hulliberger said, is they can't be used to cover co-pays and can't be used to supplement payments provided by insurance companies. But, if the insurance company doesn't cover a certain medication, the discount drugs could be used.

"Any major chain pharmacy accepts our discount cards," Hulliberger said.

For Andrew Wright, it's not too early to start thinking about ways to cut his medical costs. Wright's current health insurance expires when he turns 19 in April. As a Walmart employee, he'll have the option of signing up for the company health insurance. But, he's debating whether to take the money he would contribute to health insurance and using it for a car payment instead. The drug discount card gives him a way to pay for medications he really needs and bypass the insurance payment.

"Health insurance or car payment?" he said, weighing the options with his hands held out like a balance scale. "It's possible," he said of the insurance option, "but I doubt it."

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Contact Laurie Wink at lwink@thenewsdispatch.com.