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Ericksen applauds effort of
private sector in assisting with affordable prescription drugs
Numbers show Rx Help for
Washington, a private-sector organization that helps patients in
Washington find discount prescription drugs, is vastly outperforming its
state-run counterpart – the Pharmacy Connections program.
The comparative gap in
numbers is causing consternation among legislators who believe Pharmacy
Connections is a costly example of reinventing the wheel and big
government inefficiency, said
Rep. Doug Ericksen, R-Ferndale.
“Rx Help for Washington is
proving to be a valuable resource for consumers who want to purchase
discount prescription drugs,” said Ericksen. “This private-sector
service is an example of what can happen if legislators put politics
aside and focus on the bottom line: helping people.”
Rx Help for Washington connects qualified, low-income people with
discount prescription drugs directly from the pharmaceutical
manufacturer. In contrast, Pharmacy Connections provides Washington
residents with information about manufacturer-sponsored prescription
drug assistance programs and applying for them.
“When you compare how the
private-sector organization is performing relative to our state-run
counterpart, the numbers are staggering. Pharmacy Connections is, as
predicted by some, underperforming at the expense of taxpayers,” said
Ericksen. “Unfortunately, there’s still a mentality by some people in
Olympia who believe state-run programs are the answers to addressing our
problems.”
Since just mid-November 2004, Rx Help for Washington has received more
than 118,000 inquiries about prescription drugs by e-mail and phone.
Through those inquiries, around 63,000 people have qualified for free or
discounted prescription medicines. Nearly 800 new people are qualifying
per day.
In comparison, state-run
Pharmacy Connections, which was established in December 2003, has
provided assistance to around 15,000 people.
“I share the vision of
people who believe affordable health care coverage can be obtained
through free-market solutions. We need to create conditions that allow
for health insurance providers to come back into our market,” said
Ericksen. “If we don’t, health care coverage will continue to be
unaffordable for many families and employers.”
For more information on Rx
Help for Washington, please visit: http://www.rxhelpforwa.org.
For more information on
Pharmacy Connections, please visit: http://www.rx.wa.gov/connections.shtml
# # #
For more information, contact:
John
Handy, Assistant Director: (360) 786-5758
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