United Way of Greater Augusta and the FamilyWize Community Service Partnership have teamed up to make prescriptions more affordable for those without insurance or even those who have insurance that doesn’t cover the medicine.
In 2013, the FamilyWize Prescription program saved local residents $390,819 by filling 12,369 prescriptions. The Food and Drug Administration estimates that the average American takes 12 prescriptions regularly, meaning that roughly 1,030 local residents benefitted from the program. Now, FamilyWize is strengthening the relationship with United Way by embracing its goals of improving the overall wellness of the community by focusing on three key areas: Income, education, and health.
Soaring medical costs can contribute to financial insecurity, with 60% of people surveyed reporting that drug or medical costs are a contributing factor in a bankruptcy. Using a FamilyWize prescription savings card, individuals can save 40% off the costs of prescriptions, and sometimes as much as 75% in some cases, and can be used at most pharmacies including chain pharmacies and groceries nationwide. FamilyWize cards have provided needed relief with great success, saving people in our community about $2,000,000 on the cost of their medicine.
United Way and FamilyWize have also committed to ensuring that children in the local community receive a quality education. According to FamilyWize, 22% of youth drop out of school to become caregivers for someone else, and millions more risk unnecessary absences from school because their families cannot afford medications.
United Way of Greater Augusta is one of 1,000 local United Ways that have joined the FamilyWize Community Service Partnership over the last 8 years. FamilyWize was recently named a Preferred Partner by United Way Worldwide to provide opportunities for increased awareness and collaborations nationwide.
Contact United Way of Greater Augusta for information on how to get a card, visit www.unitedwayga.org/familywize to download a card or text “family” to 700700 to get a text version of the card.
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