State: Plan would ease seniors' access to drug savings

TALLAHASSEE -- House Speaker Johnnie Byrd, R-Plant City, offered a plan Thursday to help seniors obtain prescription drugs by requiring the state and local groups to spread the word about a discount card program run by the biggest drug companies.

Known as Together Rx, the program offers discount cards to seniors on Medicare but whose income is too high to qualify for Medicaid. The card offers access to savings in more than 150 widely prescribed medications used to treat Alzheimer's disease, cancer, depression, diabetes and osteoporosis. Most major pharmacy chains in Florida accept the card. But the industry says many seniors aren't aware of it.

Byrd, who became speaker a month ago, rolled out his proposal amid fanfare at a news conference with doctors, drug company representatives and advocates for seniors. A large blue backdrop featured a logo with the program's name, "Sunshine for Seniors."

Byrd's plan offers no relief from the high cost of drugs, and he did not spell out many details, calling it "conceptual." Byrd's proposal, which must be passed by the Legislature, would require state agencies to work with pharmaceutical companies to create one form for seniors to apply for discounts. Different companies now have different regulations, forms and guidelines.

Only seniors with annual incomes of $26,580 or less would be eligible under Byrd's plan.

Byrd, who disdains big government solutions to problems, called his plan a "public-private partnership." He said the state would spend several hundred thousand dollars to advertise an industry program.

"This is not government doing this, but a partnership between the stakeholders," Byrd said. "We are simply facilitating access to the companies."

Bentley Lipscomb, state director of the AARP in Florida, praised Byrd for having a "sincere interest" in the prescription drug issue and said his organization, which serves the interests of people 50 and older, was never invited to the speaker's office in the past two years.

"I do think we need to enable people to take advantage of existing programs, and right now it's a maze that many of them can't get through," Lipscomb said.

Democratic lawmakers rushed out their own alternative to Byrd's proposal to force drug companies to enter into lower-cost bulk contracts with the state.

Byrd's proposal "guarantees the status quo," Democrats said in a statement. "Seniors will continue to pay over-inflated prescription drug prices."

Gov. Jeb Bush issued a statement saying he supported Byrd's plan and wanted to learn more details. During his re-election campaign, Bush proposed a "Silver Saver" program that offers discounts to about 60,000 low-income seniors.

Even drug companies acknowledge that Together Rx is only a short-term answer to the prescription drug problem. "The real solution is implementation of Medicare reform, including a prescription drug benefit," the firms' Together Rx brochure says.

Congress failed earlier this year to add a drug benefit to Medicare.

It was apparent Thursday that many aspects of Byrd's program have not yet been fully explored. For instance, Byrd said he would not allow his program to evolve into a giant database of potential customers for drug companies, possibly jeopardizing their privacy.

"We're in the process of rolling out a concept," Byrd said. "This is a good example of how we learn, everywhere we go."

-- Times researcher Caryn Baird contributed to this report.

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