Prescription Prices Taking a Toll? Here's Help

According to the Washington, D.C.-based Kaiser Family Foundation's annual surveys of employer sponsored health benefits, the average co-payment for branded preferred and non-preferred drugs rose 52 percent and 99 percent, respectively, between 2000 and 2004.

As escalating healthcare costs are passed on to consumers, many Americans are finding out the hard way that even with healthcare insurance, they are not immune to the rising cost of prescription medications. As a result, nearly one out of five insured patients decided not to fill a prescription when met with a co-pay cost that they couldn't afford.

While there are programs available to assist the uninsured and those with lower levels of income, consumers at all economic levels are struggling with drug costs. Now consumers can turn to a free, new Web site to help them get the prescription medications they need at the lowest possible price.

OPTIMIZERx.com was founded by a group of physicians and healthcare veterans who saw first-hand how medication costs were affecting patients. The Web site offers an innovative way for patients to access and participate in available co-pay savings, offers and other programs designed to help them better afford the drugs they need.

"We recognize that even if a patient has healthcare insurance, co-pays on prescribed medication can still represent a significant expense for the consumer, especially for patients who are required to take multiple medications or take medication over a lengthy period of time," says Jay Pinney, M.D., medical director for OPTIMIZERx. "We are concerned that patients should have affordable access to prescribed medications so that they are able to comply with their physicians' recommendations and better look after their health."

The site is simple to use. Consumers simply go to www.OPTIMIZERx.com and select or type in the name of each branded prescription product they're taking. From there, OPTIMIZERx determines if there is an available savings plan for that product, or if not, any alternative products within that category that may offer savings.

For example, if a consumer is taking Protonix for digestive/stomach problems like ulcers and heartburn, they would choose Protonix from the list of medications on the Web site, click "get offers" and find a $30 rebate on this medication.

The amount of savings depends on the type of medication and available product offers. There are several ways to redeem offers, but most savings are received either at the point of sale or by way of rebate. Additionally, OPTIMIZERx also offers savings on over-the-counter medications and other healthcare products and services.

"We want to provide patients with information that will enable them, in partnership with their physicians, to improve access and compliance with their physician's therapies and optimize their prescription healthcare dollars," says Pinney.

It's worth a click to see if OPTIMIZERx can help you save money on your prescriptions.

Copyright © 2006, ARA Content