Low-cost medications available to low-income Iowans

DES MOINES – Low-income Iowans will have access to free or low-cost medications to treat some common maladies under a one-time prescription-drug coverage plan announced Tuesday by Attorney General Tom Miller.

The new Iowa medication voucher program will help thousands of Iowans obtain prescribed medications for $3 per prescription and the poorest uninsured or underinsured Iowans could have the cost of the co-pay waived altogether, Miller said.

The $420,000 program is funded through Iowa's share of a lawsuit settlement with two pharmaceutical benefit manager companies that were cited for alleged consumer fraud violations, according to the attorney general.

Under the program, qualifying Iowans can get 17 common generic prescription drugs for high blood pressure, diabetes, elevated cholesterol, depression and pregnancy prenatal care for as low as $3 for 90 days. It is estimated that about 52,000 prescriptions with be filled with the proposed funding, Miller said.

Iowans who participate in the program will have to go to a free clinic or contact a local public health board for a voucher which can be redeemed at a participating pharmacy.

The program began operations on a trial basis in three counties in July and now is ready to go statewide, said David Fries, executive director of the Iowa Prescription Drug Corp., a not-for-profit organization that administers programs designed to help ease the financial burden of high-cost prescription medications. Currently, vouchers have been distributed to a point of contact in 54 counties for distribution in those counties, he added.

“Our goal in designing this program was to not only provide needed help to a large number of Iowans, but also to help strengthen the network of providers that provide services,” said Fries, who noted that program information is available at the www.iowapdc.org Web site.

To be eligible, individuals must be uninsured or underinsured or have an annual income less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level.

“The cost of medications is continuing to increase, and many chronic conditions require multiple medications,” said Dr. Bery Engebretsen, clinical consultant for the Iowa/Nebraska Primary Care Association. “As a result, too many Iowans are delaying the purchase of medications or skipping doses to extend their supply. It is risky to delay or skip doses of needed treatment. We want to use these funds to help Iowans maintain their health.”

In addition to the prescription drug voucher program, the settlement provided another $50,000 to the Iowa Pharmacy Foundation to fund an evaluation of the purchasing, distribution and use of pharmaceutical drugs in the state Department of Corrections. The study will be conducted by the association in cooperation with the corrections department and the University of Iowa School of Pharmacy.

John Baldwin, director of the state Department of Corrections, said he was hopeful the study would identify ways to reduce his agency's nearly $10 million yearly spending for prescription drugs.

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