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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
Contact: |
Anne Canfield |
Group advocates market-based prescription drug services as key to meeting consumer needs and making Medicare drug benefit affordable
Washington, DC, February 14, 2002 - In response to rising health care costs and threats to market-place innovation, a diverse group of employers, health plans and others have formed the Rx Benefits Coalition to advocate for policies that will ensure consumers have access to safe and affordable prescription drugs. The members of the coalition use and support market-based prescription drug services that protect against dangerous drug interactions, reduce the cost of prescription drugs and increase freedom of choice and convenience for consumers.
"Prescription drug services provide a critical link between patients, pharmacists and physicians, giving them the information they need to make informed choices about the safest, most affordable and most effective drugs to use," said Anne Canfield, spokesperson for the Rx Benefits Coalition. "Prescription drug services will play a vital role in making a Medicare drug benefit affordable and in efforts to improve and modernize Medicare. We call upon the states and Washington to encourage an environment in which these proven market-based innovations are allowed to work, and not impose regulations that stifle innovation, increase prices and freeze outdated practices in place."
Prescription drug benefits provided by employers and unions through their health plans account for 70 percent of the 3.2 billion prescriptions filled each year - helping more than 170 million Americans.
Prescription drugs are an increasingly important part of effective health care. In the past decade alone, 400 new drugs have been developed to fight diseases such as cancer, diabetes, depression and arthritis. But increased usage of drugs and new pharmaceutical technologies have increased expenditures. And many seniors must pay for drugs out of their own pocket. Employers and other health care purchasers that use market-based prescription drug services have lowered drug costs an average of 20 to 30 percent, according to a report by Credit Suisse First Boston. These services could be expected to achieve savings for Medicare as well.
As the use of prescription drugs grows and drug therapies become more complex, there is a vital need for information and services that can help physicians and pharmacists protect patients from adverse drug interactions and medication errors. According to a recent Institute of Medicine report, 7,000 Americans die each year from medication errors, and seniors are most at risk. One quarter of hospital and nursing home admissions among older adults involve those who have not taken their medications properly. Innovative prescription drug services such as systems that allow pharmacists to screen for dangerous drug interactions and monitor for inappropriate use can protect consumers and lead to safer health care.
"21st century medicine demands new technologies to keep pace with new discoveries and the needs of today's consumers for freedom of choice and convenience," said Canfield. "Market-based prescription drug services offer consumers safety, real savings and the information needed to make informed choices."
The Rx Benefits Coalition represents a diverse group of employers and other payers and providers of prescription benefits committed to ensuring that consumers have access to safe and affordable prescription drug services through the use of proven market-based innovations in pharmaceutical care.
(c) 2002 All rights reserved.