Some question benefit of Medicare drug discount cards

But Pfizer, sponsor of the latest prescription plan, and other proponents say they are just a placeholder until a full benefit passes.

By Markian Hawryluk, AMNews staff. Feb. 4, 2002.

The number of Medicare drug discount plans is piling up, with both private companies and the government proposing them as a bridge to a full-fledged Medicare prescription drug benefit. But discount card critics have countered that the bridge is a detour designed to move Medicare off the road to a real drug program.

In January, Pfizer became the third drug manufacturer to offer a new prescription drug discount card to low-income Medicare beneficiaries. But unlike the GlaxoSmithKline and Novartis cards, which offered a discount of up to 25% off the cost of the companies' medications, Pfizer's Share Card program would charge low-income seniors a $15 flat fee for a month-long supply of Pfizer prescription drugs. That fee is on par with co-payments that commercial insurers charge their enrollees.

"Until the administration, Congress and the states design an appropriate high-quality, long-term solution for America's seniors, we are bridging the gap now for those most in need," said Pfizer Chair and CEO Hank McKinnell. Pfizer plans to launch a comprehensive grassroots campaign to enroll as many as 7 million seniors through emergency departments, health clinics, pharmacies, senior centers and physician offices.

The Pfizer card would be offered to a smaller group of beneficiaries than the other manufacturers' discount cards but would offer a greater benefit and cover more drugs commonly used by Medicare beneficiaries. Pfizer manufactures nine medications that rank among the 50 most-prescribed drugs for Medicare patients, including Lipitor (atorvastatin calcium), Norvasc (amlodipine besylate) and Zoloft (sertraline hydrochloride). [...]