Seniors seeking better ways to manage the escalating costs of prescription drugs may find help in several free online services, according to a January 21 Wall Street Journal article by Kelly Greene. The article states that there are at least 240 programs (covering almost 800 drugs) that offer subsidies and discounts on prescription drugs, including programs where certain prescriptions are free. 

The daunting challenge for seniors is to find the programs and subsidies for which they qualify. This is where the online services come in. The most comprehensive and user-friendly of the services -- BenefitsCheckUpRx -- was launched January 22 by the non-profit National Council on the Aging, which also sponsors the BenefitsCheckUp service. Featured in a November H.E.L.P. News Alert, BenefitsCheckUp identifies non-Rx programs for which seniors may qualify. 

The BenefitsCheckUpRx service, according to the WSJ article, is intended to reach a portion of the estimated 8-12 million older adults who are eligible for, but are not receiving, prescription drug assistance. After taking a few minutes to enter some basic information into this online service, you press the "Enter" key and within a minute receive a list of prescription drug discounts and programs for which you may qualify. The service does not require any identifying information such as your social security number or even your name. James Firman, president the National Council on the Aging, is quoted in the WSJ article as saying: "Anyone on Medicare who doesn't have insurance now for drugs and has an income under $28,000 alone or $38,000 as a couple, will find at least one program now to save them money," To access this service, click on the link below and then select the BenefitsCheckUpRx button: www.benefitscheckup.org 

Other services listed in the article that offer information on prescription drug savings and benefits are: 

	Medicare (www.medicare.gov)
	Phrma, a service sponsored by the pharmaceutical industry that includes a search feature for drug-assistance programs for low-income individuals (www.phrma.org)
	The Medicare Rights Center, which includes a "Discount Rx Resources" feature (www.medicarerights.org)
	Needymeds, a non-profit organization that provides information on drug discount programs and cost comparisons of Rx discount cards www.needymeds.com

The full text of the Wall Street Journal article may be accessed by WSJ subscribers at: online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB104300723681682504-search,00.html?collection=wsjie%2F30day&vql_string=Kelly+Greene%3Cin%3E%28article%2Dbody%29

January 2003