Are you an employer who is in central Pennsylvania and seeing an uptick in employee absenteeism or turnover? Are you an employer who is interested in improving productivity and profitability? Your employees’ ability to afford prescription medication may be negatively affecting your company’s overall performance.
According to information from the Clearfield Area United Way, it’s estimated that 80 million people in the United States – one in four – go without taking their medicine as prescribed due to the costs of medication.
Employees make up the vast majority of those who either skip their medication, or don’t fill their prescriptions due to costs. Additionally, 78 percent come from working families, according to information from the CAUW.
“Local United Ways have teamed up with FamilyWize to provide immediate relief for employees who can’t afford prescriptions. Nearly $30,000 in savings have been seen by just local residents in southern, central and eastern Clearfield County since we began distributing the free and re-useable cards,” explained Nancy Pinto, CAUW chief professional officer.
“When our board at the Clearfield Area United Way learned about this program, we were excited. We were not only excited about spreading the word to those who we [personally] knew might benefit from prescription drug discounts, but we also immediately thought of the potential value to local companies.”
The program can benefit employees who decline coverage because they can’t afford the premium; employees who work part-time or for minimum wage; or employees who have insurance but are not covered for prescriptions or who have family members who aren’t.
Distributed through United Ways nationwide, the FamilyWize card lowers the cost of medicine by an average of 40 percent or more for people without insurance or who take medications not covered by their plan, according to information from the CAUW.
“That works out to an average savings of $20 per prescription,” said Pinto. “It’s easy to use. All you have to do is present a FamilyWize card at a local pharmacy to receive immediate prescription savings without any paperwork or forms to fill out.
“Businesses can acquire discount cards from the CAUW and distribute them to employees. Individuals can also print out a card at clearfieldareaunitedway.org, call 814-765-6521 for as many re-useable cards as they would like to have or distribute to family or friends or even text Health to 700-700 to download a card on their phone.”
Pinto added, “As a result of the partnership between United Way and FamilyWize, tens of thousands have been saved. But there are still so many local residents who may need help with prescription savings.
“We’d be happy to help explain how you can utilize this great opportunity. No one should be forced to choose between paying for food, rent or medicine because of the high costs of prescriptions.”