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SAVING ON PRESCRIPTION DRUGS
Every year, skyrocketing prices make prescription drugs more unaffordable, especially for uninsured consumers. It is the uninsured that must pay the entire cost for their medicines, yet by shopping around they could save big bucks. When New Yorkers who lack adequate health insurance go to the drug store, they can pay a huge additional price—sometimes hundreds of dollars more — for the exact same medicine, depending on the pharmacy they go to. For example, in the Capital District, the drug Prevacid had the greatest range in price, from a high of $272 to a low of $32 — a difference of $240. Those particularly hard hit are the 2.6 million New Yorkers who lack health insurance. They pay the full retail price, yet typically have the toughest time paying those bills. New York State law recognizes the difficulty in helping consumers to comparison shop for their prescriptions. New York has created a website (rx.nyhealth.gov) and requires that pharmacies prominently post that web address in their stores. In theory, that should help. Consumers who must pay full retail could identify the pharmacy with the lowest price and save money. But a recent report — entitled A Bitter Pill — issued by NYPIRG, AARP, Consumers Union and the Center for Medical Consumers identified two big problems. First, many pharmacies do not post the web address as required under law. According to the report, only 46 of 256 pharmacies surveyed did prominently post the web address. Thus, consumers who are ignorant of the price differences may assume that drug prices are more or less the same among different pharmacies. As a result of that ignorance, they could be paying a lot more for their medicines. Second, the state’s database has holes. The database is made available on the Internet from information collected by the New York State Department of Health. The Health Department’s pricing information comes from its Medicaid database. So if a pharmacy does not have a substantial number of Medicaid beneficiaries obtaining prescriptions at their store, the drug pricing information may not be collected by the Department. So what should be done? First, the law must be enforced so that consumers know of the existence of the state website. The state Education Department enforces that requirement and the groups have called on the Education Commissioner to crack the whip and enforce the law. Second, the holes in the Health Department’s database must be filled. That can only be done through a change in state law. But consumers must shop smart for their medications. Failing to shop smart can cost consumers big. And the huge drug prices we’ve identified can also bring another cost. If consumers can’t afford their medications, they can end up paying a terrible price — additional illness and pain from failing to obtain their necessary medicines. Of course, ensuring that all New Yorkers have health insurance will help more than anything else. But until that day comes, state government should do its job and help New Yorkers to shop smart for their prescriptions. Once more, if you want to check out the prices of your medications, go to rx.nyhealth.gov. That’s all for now. I’ll be keeping an eye on the Capitol and will talk to you again next week.
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