Pfizer Share Card to participate in a Medicare-approved drug discount card scheme
This coalition will offer Medicare beneficiaries immediate assistance in obtaining prescription medicines through the Medicare-approved drug discount card program made available through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services ("CMS"). UnitedHealth Group will sponsor and manage the new coalition's drug discount card.
This new card program, known as the U Share Prescription Drug Discount Card ("U Share Card"), will integrate the expertise and pharmacy network access of UnitedHealth Group with the prescription drug savings model of the Pfizer for Living Share CardTM, as well as prescription drug savings available through other participating pharmaceutical companies and retail pharmacies.
The result is the creation of a single card that could provide one of the most comprehensive drug discount card programs currently approved by CMS.
"We are pleased to be working with UnitedHealth Group, the nation's leading health and well-being company, to provide meaningful and innovative prescription drug savings to Medicare beneficiaries in need of assistance," said Pfizer Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Hank McKinnell.
"Our experience with the Pfizer for Living Share CardTM has shown us that choice, convenience, and simplicity are key attributes of an effective drug benefit card for Medicare beneficiaries."
The Pfizer Share Card program, launched in January 2002, provides qualified low-income Medicare beneficiaries with access to up to a 30-day supply of any Pfizer prescription medicine for a flat fee of $15 per prescription.
To date, over half a million seniors have enrolled in the program and have filled nearly five million prescriptions.
The U Share Card will offer significant savings to all eligible Medicare beneficiaries, but will provide much greater assistance for low-income beneficiaries. All beneficiaries enrolled in this new drug discount card, regardless of their income, will receive a discount on all branded and generic prescription drugs included in the new Medicare-approved drug discount card program. There is no formulary.
The interim Medicare-Approved Drug Discount Card program is the first phase in the implementation of an outpatient drug benefit for Medicare beneficiaries. This program is part of the Medicare Modernization Act passed by Congress late last year, which will result in a government-funded prescription drug benefit for all 40 million Medicare beneficiaries in 2006.
"The U Share Prescription Drug Discount Card is designed to pool resources, insights, and capabilities to offer outstanding savings for Medicare beneficiaries and contribute to the success of the Medicare-approved drug discount card program" said Pat Kelly, president, Pfizer U.S. Pharmaceuticals.
"Through this collaboration we will provide Medicare beneficiaries with a new and broader discount card program. We invite companies or organizations committed to quality healthcare delivery to join the U Share coalition and help us make a difference for Medicare beneficiaries now."
The U Share Card envisions a broad coalition of companies aligned around the common goals of providing Medicare beneficiaries with access to prescription drugs and preserving the integrity of the patient-physician and patient-pharmacist relationships that are at the heart of the U.S. healthcare delivery system.
"Our members provide home health care to nearly 4 million people per year, many of whom are low-income Medicare beneficiaries with no prescription drug coverage. We have seen first-hand how pharmaceutical assistance programs can make a meaningful difference in our patients' quality of life," said Carolyn Markey, president and chief executive officer of the Visiting Nurses Association of America. "We will work hard to educate and enroll our patients into Medicare-approved drug discount cards like the U Share Prescription Drug Discount Card."
CMS announced its approval of the U Share Card on March 25, 2004. The U Share Card will be available to eligible Medicare beneficiaries across the country in all 50 states and the District of Columbia . Enrollment will begin in May, with discounts and savings available in June.
Pfizer Inc is a research-based global pharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, manufactures, and markets innovative medicines for humans and animals.
UnitedHealth Group (www.unitedhealthgroup.com) is a diversified health and well-being company that provides a broad spectrum of resources and services to help people improve their health and well-being through all stages of life. United HealthCare Insurance Company is a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH).
* Through its legal entity, United HealthCare Insurance Company.
Pfizer for Living Share CardTM
Enrollee, Caregiver, Health Care Provider, and
Community Organization Perspectives
Current Pfizer Share Card Member Testimonials:
"I signed up for the [Pfizer] Share Card and had no problems whatsoever. In a few short weeks I got my card. The first time I took it to my pharmacy, I was surprised and very pleased."
--Virginia A., Pfizer Share Card member
"This is the best gift I could have given my mother and father-in-law. It has saved them substantial money over the last year that they've had it. I mean, what more can you do for them than to help them maintain their health?"
--Wanda P., daughter-in-law of a Pfizer Share Card member
"When your health is threatened you need real help, and that's what the Pfizer Share Card has given us. We appreciate it so much."
-- Ben and Maria R., Pfizer Share Card members
"My husband passed away four years ago, and that left me with just Social Security to live on. With the heart problems and high blood pressure problems, I couldn't have made it without help from the [Pfizer Share] card."
-- Maureen S., Pfizer Share Card member
"I had to quit work, and my insurance went out of the state, so we were looking for any help we could get. I can't imagine how we could have held things together without the Pfizer Share Card."
-- Ken R., Pfizer Share Card member
Health Care Provider and Community Organization Perspectives:
"Prescription drug benefit programs are a wonderful stop gap measure for seniors while Congress works to ensure coverage for all Medicare beneficiaries. We commend companies such as Pfizer for taking the initiative to help those who need it most, by participating in the interim Medicare-Approved Drug Discount Card program."
-- Michael Fleming, M.D., president of the American Academy of Family Physicians.
"We applaud Pfizer for their continued efforts to reach low-income Medicare beneficiaries; the Pfizer Share Card has made an enormous impact on the health of communities at risk. We look forward to working with Pfizer and our network of more than 25,000 physicians on ensuring that information on this program gets into the hands of the seniors who need them the most."
-- Randall W. Maxey, M.D., Ph.D. President, National Medical Association.
"We're very proud of the fact that we can hook people up with this card because our patients love us when we do it. I look forward to working together in the future with Pfizer to meet the needs of our senior population."
-- J.J. Bernabei, Owner/Community Pharmacist, Follansbee Pharmacy, Follansbee, WV
"I am excited by the commitment that Pfizer has to reaching the Latina community and helping to meet the prescription drug needs of our senior population."
-- Alma Morales Riojas, President and CEO of MANA, A National Latina Organization
"We are very pleased to see that Pfizer will continue to provide this important and meaningful benefit for low income seniors; we look forward to our continued work with Pfizer to ensure that information on this comprehensive drug benefit program gets to our NAACP members and constituents."
-- Willard V. Edwards, M.D., MBA, Director Health Advocacy, NAACP
"We look forward to continuing our work together to make a difference in the lives of the elderly in San Antonio . We're proud to be associated with Pfizer."
-- Steve Saldana, President, Catholic Charities, San Antonio, TX
"I have witnessed Pfizer's commitment to helping those without prescription drug coverage first hand and am impressed. The Texas Association of Homes and Services for the Aging hosted the first statewide enrollment event for the Pfizer Share Card and has enrolled thousands into the program. We are eager to continue working with Pfizer to meet our clients needs."
-- George Linial, President & CEO, Texas Association of Homes and Services for the Aging
"We have made the Pfizer Share Card program an important part of our health ministry. On behalf of the over 400,000 congregation members of the Baptist General Convention of Virginia , I would like to thank Pfizer for their commitment and look forward to continuing to help people afford their prescription medicines."
-- The Reverend Cessar L. Scott, Executive Minister, Baptist General Convention of Virginia.
Pfizer Cota de card de a participa la o Medicare-medicament aprobat schema de cardul de reduceri - Pfizer Share Card to participate in a Medicare-approved drug discount card scheme - articole medicale engleza - startsanatate