Together Rx Access(R) Program Expands Eligibility Criteria, Responds to Challenging Economic Times

ALEXANDRIA, Va., March 19 /PRNewswire/ — Together Rx Access(R), a prescription savings program sponsored by many of the nation’s leading pharmaceutical companies, announced today that it has expanded the Program’s eligibility income levels to help even more uninsured individuals and families save on the medicines they need to stay healthy and to manage chronic conditions. Under the new income levels, nearly 90 percent of uninsured Americans will now be eligible for the Together Rx Access Program.

“Millions of individuals around the country have been impacted by job reductions, salary cuts, or the loss of health benefits, specifically prescription coverage, adding to the already soaring uninsured population in the United States,” said Roba Whiteley, executive director of Together Rx Access. “By expanding the Program’s income levels, the Together Rx Access member companies are responding to the needs of hardworking Americans during these challenging times.”

The enhanced income levels for which individuals are eligible for the Together Rx Access Program are now:

• $45,000 for a single person (formerly $30,000)
• $60,000 for a family of two (formerly $40,000)
• $75,000 for a family of three (formerly $50,000)
• $90,000 for a family of four (formerly $60,000)
• $105,000 for a family of five (formerly $70,000)

Over the past 12 months, the unemployment rate in the United States has risen by 3.3 percent(1), which by some estimates, may result in more than three million additional Americans without health insurance(2). Results from a recent Kaiser Family Foundation survey, conducted in February 2009, showed that 53 percent of American households have cut back on healthcare due to cost concerns in the past 12 months. One in five (21 percent) surveyed say they have not filled a prescription, and one in six (15 percent) say they have cut pills in half or skipped doses to make their prescriptions last longer(3).

“Prescription medicines offer people with chronic diseases and disabilities a chance to live a more normal life. With today’s uncertain economy, that possibility is quickly snatched away as more and more people face the loss of a job or health benefits,” said Myrl Weinberg, President, National Health Council, which provides a united voice for the more than 125 million Americans with chronic diseases and disabilities and their family caregivers. “The decision by Together Rx Access to expand the eligibility criteria to help those without health insurance and in need of medicines keeps that chance to live longer and feel better a concrete possibility.”

In addition to meeting the expanded income levels, individuals must be legal residents of the United States or Puerto Rico, and have no public or private prescription coverage, or qualify for Medicare, to be eligible for the Together Rx Access Card. The Card is free to get and free to use.

Together Rx Access offers potential cardholders a simple enrollment process. Individuals have the option of enrolling online at TogetherRxAccess.com, calling a toll-free number 1-800-966-0407, or completing a short application and returning it by mail. All enrollment materials, including the Together Rx Access website, are available in English and Spanish.

“Together Rx Access is the only multi-manufacturer program offering its cardholders immediate access to savings on hundreds of brand-name and generic medicines used to treat many common conditions, such as asthma and diabetes,” added Whiteley. “Proof of the success of this unique model is the fact that the Program has more than 1.8 million cardholders, and thousands enroll each week. Those who have used their Together Rx Access Card have saved over $81 million on their prescription medicines.”

About Together Rx Access

The Together Rx Access Card was created by many of the nation’s leading pharmaceutical companies to help hardworking Americans and their families gain access to immediate and meaningful savings on prescription products right at their neighborhood pharmacy. Most cardholders save 25 to 40 percent(4) on brand-name prescription products. More than 300 brand-name prescription products are included in the Program(5). Savings are also available on a wide range of generics. Medicines in the Program include those used to treat high cholesterol, diabetes, depression, asthma, and many other common conditions. The Card is free to get and free to use.

Together Rx Access also directs individuals to the Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPA), a clearinghouse for more than 475 public and private assistance programs, including 180 offered by pharmaceutical companies. Those who are eligible for the Together Rx Access Card may qualify for additional savings on prescription medicines, or even free medicines, through other patient assistance programs in the PPA. The PPA also connects people to free health clinics in their community.

The companies participating in the Together Rx Access Program include Abbott Laboratories; Bristol-Myers Squibb Company; GlaxoSmithKline; Janssen, L.P.; Johnson & Johnson Wound Management, a Division of ETHICON, Inc.; King Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; LifeScan, Inc.; McNeil Pediatrics, a Division of McNeil-PPC, Inc.; Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation; Ortho Biotech Products, L.P.; Ortho-McNeil, Inc.; Ortho-McNeil Neurologics, Inc.; OrthoNeutrogena, a Division of Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, Inc.; Ortho Women’s Health & Urology, a Division of Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, Inc.; Pfizer Inc; PriCara, a Unit of Ortho-McNeil, Inc.; Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, Inc.; Tibotec Therapeutics, a Division of Ortho Biotech Products, L.P.; and Vistakon Pharmaceuticals, LLC.

For more information about the Together Rx Access Card, contact Together Rx Access at 1-800-966-0407, or visit TogetherRxAccess.com.

    (1) U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics:
        http://www.bls.gov. Accessed 3/06/09.

    (2) Kaiser Family Foundation: http://www.kff.org/charts/042808.htm.
        Accessed 2/12/09. Accessed 2/12/09.

    (3) Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health Tracking Poll:

http://www.kff.org/kaiserpolls/upload/7866.pdf

        Accessed 2/25/09.

    (4) Each cardholder's savings depend on such factors as the particular
        drug purchased, amount purchased, and the pharmacy where purchased.
        Participating companies independently set the level of savings
        offered and the products included in the Program. Those decisions are
        subject to change.

    (5) Visit TogetherRxAccess.com for the most current list of brand-name
        medicines and products.

Together Rx Access and the Together Rx Access logo are trademarks of Together Rx Access, LLC. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.

SOURCE Together Rx Access