Health Insurance, Health Care Reform

and Resources

in Chicago

Dancers’ Health Insurance Resource Center

A program of The Actors Fund with

support from The Doris Duke FoundationPresenter: Jim Brown, Director of Health Services, jbrown@actorsfund.org.

The Basics of Medicare

Artists Health Insurance Resource Center

www.ahirc.org

A program of The Actors Fund

www.actorsfund.org

Presenter: Elizabeth Tripp, Medicare Counselor etripp@actorsfund.org

Ten Ways to Get

Medications Discounted or

Free

Artists Health Insurance Resource Center

www.ahirc.org

A program of The Actors Fund

www.actorsfund.org Presenter: Janet Pearl, Health Services Manager, Al Hirschfeld Free Health

Clinic, jpearl@actorsfund.org

Introduction

• Throughout this tutorial you will see questions. Click on the question to find the answer.

• To navigate the presentation, use the buttons in the green area below. They are just like the buttons on your DVD player. To advance to the next slide, click the play button. You can also advance to the next slide by clicking the forward button. To pause, click the pause button. To go back, click the rewind button.

• You can also click on any of the slide titles in the outline on the left to advance to that slide.

Generic Drugs

• You can save money by asking your doctor if the generic option is appropriate for you.

• Generic medications have little or no difference in their chemical composition from brand name drugs, and can be much less expensive.

• Not all medications have generic versions.

Pharmaceutical Assistance

Programs

• Pharmaceutical companies offer free medications for people who can’t afford their drugs.

• Websites like RxAssist http://rxassist.org and Needy Meds www.needymeds.org offer extensive listings of these programs and how to apply.

• On the following slide, we’ll show you how to navigate the Needy Meds website.

Co-payment Assistance

Programs

• The Patient Advocate Foundation, www.copays.org, assists financially and medically qualified patients with their co-payments.

• RX Outreach, http://www.rxoutreach.org/ , is a non-profit online pharmacy that charges low co-pays for over 400 medications for people who meet low-income eligibility criteria.

Discount and Savings Cards

• Drug discount and savings cards, while not insurance, can provide savings.

• An example of this is New York City’s Big Apple RX, www.bigapplerx.com.

• Together RX, www.togetherrxaccess.com, offers savings on brand name and generic medications as well.

Chain Stores

• Some major retail stores offer low-cost medications.

• Target and Wal-Mart offer roughly 300 generic medications for $4 for a 30 day supply.

• Kmart offers a 30 day supply for $5.

Mail Order Pharmacies

• If you have health insurance, ask your health plan if they partner with a mail order pharmacy.

• There are often financial incentives for buying your medications through a mail order pharmacy rather than at a local pharmacy.

Samples

• Ask your physician for samples of your prescription. They may be able to provide you with several months of free medication.

O Canada!

• You may find savings by buying medications through online Canadian pharmacies.

• All require that you submit original prescriptions written by licensed physicians in the US that will then be reviewed and rewritten by a Canadian doctor.

• Beware that buying medications through the internet from a company outside the US can be risky.

State Programs for Seniors

• Many states have programs that help seniors.

• In New York, EPIC reduces the cost of medications for low and moderate income seniors. www.health.ny.gov/health_care/epic

Shop Around!

• Prices can widely vary from pharmacy to pharmacy – shop around!

• To compare prices at local pharmacies, visit http://cashcard.lc.healthtrans.com/Pages/DrugSearch.aspx