Free prescription card distributed by United Way could help even more people if they knew how easy it is to get and use one. 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. FamilyWize cards have provided needed relief with great success, saving 8,926 people in our community more than $1,447,499 on the cost of their medicine. However, there are still many more people whose health is endangered because their prescriptions are too expensive and they are not getting the medicines they need.
Surveys in the last two years by the Commonwealth Fund, a private foundation that supports independent research on health care issues, notes particular difficulties for people who lost insurance when they became uninsured:
• 57% who had health benefits through their jobs and then lost their jobs became uninsured
• 52% of uninsured adults with a chronic condition skipped doses or did not fill a prescription for their condition because of the cost
Even people with insurance through their employer may find that cost keeps them from taking medicine as prescribed, particularly those with High Deductible Plans. According to an Employee Benefits Research Institute study:
• 31% of people who had a deductible of at least $1,000 skipped a dose or didn’t fill a prescription because of cost
“In 2013, we’d like to see every person in our community who is unemployed, uninsured, has to buy medicine not covered by their health plan or government program, or is unable to get the medicine they need for any reason, get a FamilyWize card from our United Way,” said Cynthia Pritchard, Executive Director of the United Way of Greater Augusta. “We also encourage them to see what other services we can refer them to – like food banks and pantries, utility and housing assistance, and more. We know there are still hard times for many people and we’re here to help.”
United Way of Greater Augusta is one of 1,000 local United Ways that have joined the FamilyWize Community Service Partnership over the last 7 years. FamilyWize was recently named a Preferred Partner by United Way Worldwide to provide opportunities for increased awareness and collaborations nationwide.
“Our partnership with United Way Worldwide and almost 1,000 local United Ways nationwide give us a national platform to help people in every community across the country,” said Dan Barnes, FamilyWize CEO and Co-Founder.
Barnes added that FamilyWize has the capacity to help many more people and will be working hard to do so but the impact nationwide already is impressive:
5.2 million people helped
5,000 additional people helped each day
$470 million saved on the cost of medications
“Locally or nationwide, what’s most important is that most of the time we save people about $20 per prescription when they use this card,” said Pritchard. “That’s money in their pocket when they need it most to pay bills and other necessities.”
Average savings are almost 40% and can be as high as 75%. FamilyWize cards can be used at most pharmacies including all chain pharmacies and groceries nationwide.
Contact United Way of Greater Augusta for information on how to get a card, visit http://www.unitedwayga.org/familywize to download a card or text “family” to 700700 to get a text version of the card.
About United Way of Greater Augusta
United Way of Greater Augusta is part of a national network of more than 1,300 locally governed organizations that work to create lasting positive changes in communities and people’s lives. Building on more than a century of service as the nation’s preeminent community-based fundraiser, United Way engages the community to identify the underlying causes of the most significant local issues, develops strategies and pulls together financial and human resources to address them, and measures the results. United Way of Greater Augusta tackle issues based on local needs. Common focus areas include helping children and youth succeed, improving access to health care, promoting self-sufficiency, and strengthening families. For more information about United Way of Greater Augusta, please visit: www.unitedwayga.org.
About FamilyWize
The FamilyWize Community Service Partnership was established in 2005 to help people get the medicine they need. Today, more than 50,000 community agencies, coordinated by nearly 1,000 participating United Ways and American’s Promise Alliance Partners in all 50 states coordinate local distribution of the free FamilyWize prescription drug discount card, which lower the cost of medicine by up to 75%. As of December, 2012, the free FamilyWize cards have helped more than five million people save over $450 million. For more information, visit http://familywize.org/about-us/about-familywize.
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