United Way of Marshall County Helps Families Cover Prescription Costs

6/1/09 -- The United Way of Marshall County is pleased to announce help for families with prescription drug discount cards. If you don’t have health insurance, or need medicine not covered by your insurance plan, you need the FamilyWize prescription drug discount card being distributed by the United Way of Marshall County. This card could lower the cost of your medicine by an average 30% or more. The United Way of Marshall County is providing these cards free-of-charge to everyone in our community. There are no age restrictions, no income restrictions, no limit on how many times you can use it and no waiting to get a card. In fact, you can cut this one out and use it today.

"Healthcare costs are one of the top concerns for people in our community," said Jennifer Maddox, Executive Director of the United Way of Marshall County. "40% of adults don’t buy the medicine they need, have difficulty affording it or reduce the required dosage because of the high cost. The FamilyWize prescription drug discount cards will help individuals and families who otherwise could not afford to buy the medicine they need. Too many people have insufficient coverage, no prescription coverage or need medications not covered by their insurance, Medicare, Medicaid or VA benefits."

FamilyWize cards are available at the United Way of Marshall County, all participating local pharmacies, and at the following locations:

Plymouth
Pilot News
WTCA
Saint Joseph Health Center
St. Joseph Regional Medical Center
Marshall County Neighborhood Center
Care & Share
Pathfinders
Heart & Hands
Adult Basic Education
Women’s Care Center
Council on Aging

Bourbon
First State Bank of Bourbon

Bremen
Community Hospital of Bremen
Bremen Clinic

Argos
Argos Jr.-Sr. High School
Argos Elementary School

Culver
Lakeshore Clinic
Culver Union Township Public Library
Culver Food Pantry

LaPaz
Mac’s Market

If you would like to have a card mailed to you just call the United Way of Marshall County at 574-936-3366. People with Internet access can go to www.FamilyWize.org to print a card, look up drug prices, and get a list of participating pharmacies. Local businesses and employers can also get cards to give to all their employees.

The United Way of Marshall County has joined more than 800 United Ways in all 50 states to save people over $50 million in the next year on the cost of their medicine. So far, more than 12 million cards have been distributed. Marshall County residents saved a total of $975.74 just in the month of April 2009, with an average savings of $19.13 per consumer. "We anticipate the savings in Marshall County will increase in the coming months as residents learn about the availability of the card and begin to use it," said Maddox.

"It’s truly amazing what we can accomplish when we all work together. So many people and organizations have joined together to make this possible. We invite all area organizations to contact us for a supply of cards, as well as every local business to get cards for all their employees and their families."

The FamilyWize prescription drug discount cards are accepted at the following local pharmacies:

"We hope everyone in the community will take the time to thank their pharmacist, the United Way of Marshall County, and everyone else involved for the difference they are making in the lives of so many people in the community," said Dan Barnes, Co-Chair of the FamilyWize Community Service Partnership. The participating pharmacies in the community have agreed voluntarily to accept the FamilyWize cards and provide these savings to people in need. Brown Printing, Independent Graphics and Rob-Win Press of greater Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania donate the printing for the cards; Sappi Fine Paper provides some of the paper; FedEx Express donates the shipping of the cards and the pharmacy benefit manager provides a portion of the processing fee to cover the administrative costs. The United Way of Marshall County is coordinating the distribution of the cards locally.

ABOUT THE FAMILYWIZE PARTNERSHIP
In the spring of 2005, Dan and Susan Barnes decided to give a supply of free prescription drug discount cards to the Family Centers in the local schools in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. They had heard of families who were having difficulty buying the medicine they needed because of the high cost and they wanted to do what they could to reduce the cost of prescriptions for families in the Lehigh Valley. The Family Centers involved the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley, who asked 25 of its partner agencies to help distribute the cards to individuals and families in need throughout the area. Almost immediately, Dan and Susan received requests to provide this free assistance to other communities. As a result, they established the FamilyWize Community Service Partnership in the fall of 2005.

They invited a group of local and national companies to join together to provide this free assistance to people in need across the country. Now, more than twenty five thousand community and faith-based organizations, county and municipal agencies, doctors, pharmacies, public and private companies, and individuals across the country have joined together to reduce the cost of medicine for people in one out of every three counties in the United States. More than 800 participating United Way agencies and America’s Promise Alliance Partners in all 50 states have volunteered to coordinate the local distribution of the free FamilyWize prescription drug discount cards. One of the most common questions is how the cards can be distributed for free. The answer is that the savings on the cost of the medicine is provided voluntarily by more than 55,000 participating local pharmacies that have agreed to accept prices for medications that are close to the prices they make available to large insurance companies. For more information, visit www.FamilyWize.org.

ABOUT THE UNITED WAY OF MARSHALL COUNTY
The United Way of Marshall County is creating lasting changes by advancing the common good. We invest in the building blocks for a good life: Education, Income and Health. In 2008 the United Way served 24,290 people in Marshall County!

We invite you to be part of the change. Together, united, we can inspire hope and create opportunities for a better tomorrow. When we reach out a hand to one, we influence the condition of all. That’s what it means to Live United.

For more information contact Jennifer S. Maddox, Executive Director, United Way of Marshall County at (574) 936-3366.