HIBAC offers help with prescription drugs

Silver Tips is written by the Senior Citizens’ Law Office in Albuquerque.

Seniors seeking help with the costs of their prescription drugs will not find a simple solution. But the New Mexico Aging and Long-Term Services Department Health Insurance and Benefits Assistance Corps (HIBAC) can provide information on discount pharmacy programs, benefits entitlements and other related programs.

More people are seeking help with the costs of prescription drugs for several reasons. The biggest barriers in New Mexico, as elsewhere in the US, include Medicare HMOs leaving the market or reducing their prescription drug benefits, increased drug costs and increased reliance on drugs as a means of treatment. The problem has been worsened by increased consumer desire for brand name drugs, often as a result of advertising by the pharmaceutical industry.

Finding access to reduced- or no-cost prescriptions is not the first step for many people. The first step is to avoid or eliminate unnecessary pharmaceutical costs. Consumers can manage their medications by following a healthy lifestyle, substituting generics when effective and available, and talking with physicians and pharmacists about less-expensive drug and treatment alternatives.

If patients talk to physicians and pharmacists about the drugs they are taking, they can decrease health risks associated with taking conflicting medications and the chances of taking duplicate medications from different providers.

Seniors seeking help with paying for their prescriptions might actually find help paying for other costs of living, freeing up more of their resources to purchase prescriptions. Financial assistance might be available through Social Security or Medicaid benefits, assistance with utilities, or food stamps.

HIBAC also can provide information about programs that offer free or reduced-cost drugs. These include the pharmaceutical manufacturers’ patient assistance programs, the Veterans’ Administration, New Mexico’s Medicaid program, Indian Health Services, community health clinic pharmacies, various mail-order programs and programs that assist consumers in purchasing drugs from Mexico and Canada. HIBAC provides information on any of the programs for which seniors may qualify and offers individual counseling and assistance in accessing the programs of their choice.

For instance, the Veterans Administration drug benefit may provide prescription drug help for a high percentage of New Mexico’s senior population. About 35 percent of individuals older than the age of 65 are honorably discharged veterans and eligible to receive prescription drugs for a maximum $2 co-payment per 30-day supply. The Veterans Administration is now contracting with many community health clinics around the state, so access to VA drug benefits has greatly increased.

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association (PhRMA) provides forms that can be filled out by seniors who wish to ask pharmaceutical manufacturers for help with prescriptions. The program application forms are cumbersome and unique to each manufacturer, resulting in delays, confusion and reluctance by providers to participate.

In response, HIBAC volunteers can assist consumers and providers with the time-consuming task of completing the applications for drug requests.

Expansion of existing state programs or creation of new programs that assist in paying for prescriptions is not likely to occur this fiscal year. Finding a “niche that fits” is the most appropriate and effective way to assist New Mexico’s residents in accessing affordable prescription drugs.

For more information, contact HIBAC at 800-432-2080 statewide toll-free.