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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
SEATTLE--Beginning May 3, Bartell Drugs will offer its Medicare customers membership in the Pharmacy Care Alliance to obtain savings of 10 to 20 percent on brand-name prescription drugs and up to 40 percent on generic prescription drugs.
May 3 is the nationwide launch date for enrollment in the federal government’s Medicare Drug Benefit Program, which was signed into law last December. The prescription drug discount portion of the program begins June 1, but the remainder of the plan will not be fully in place until January 2006.
There will be a number of prescription drug discount plans available and Bartell will honor many of them for its customers. However, Bartell’s will offer membership to its customers only in the Pharmacy Care Alliance, a network of more than 41,000 pharmacies in all 50 states that meets the high standard of customer service required by Bartell Drugs.
Medicare customers are invited to ask Bartell Drugs store pharmacists questions about the discount program and about the PCA card.
“This is a new program and we know the public will have a lot of questions. The needs of every household will be different, and our pharmacists will be available to advise them about their specific requirements. It is an extension of the counseling they provide to customers every day,” according to George D. Bartell, chairman and CEO of the locally owned drugstore chain.
Family owned Bartell Drugs owns and operates 52 stores in King, Snohomish and Pierce counties. The 114 year-old company is the nation's oldest drugstore chain.
About the PCA Card
Eligible customers must be enrolled in Medicare (part A or B) and not have Medicaid coverage. There is a maximum enrollment fee of $30 if the patient uses more than two prescriptions per month; the fee is collected when the first prescription is processed. Customers who use less than two prescriptions per month pay a $19 fee with the PCA card. No matter what company discount plan a customer chooses, federal rules permit only one discount card per customer, per year. There will be an open enrollment period from mid-November through the end of December when customers can choose a different card.
PCA card customers receive these advantages:
- Discounts of up to 20 percent on name-brand prescription drugs and as much as 40 percent on generic brands.
- No mandatory mail-order prescriptions, which means customers can continue to shop in their local Bartell Drug Store. Optional mail-order prescriptions are available under the plan.
- Lower prices because 100 percent of the manufacturer’s discount is passed directly to the customer.
- A 90-day prescription supply, so that customers do not have refill each month.
- No restrictions on the brand of prescription drug.
- Keeps the customer in touch with their local pharmacist.
- The largest network of pharmacies on a single card program.
Additional information on prescription drug discount cards is available on the government’s Medicare web site: www.medicare.gov or by calling this toll-free number: 800-MEDICARE (633-4227).
In addition to the prescription drug discount cards that will be available, Medicare is offering an Additional Assistance Card to customers who meet the following criteria: Enrollment in Medicare (part A or B), may have a Medicare+Choice or Medigap Plan, has no prescription coverage under a group health plan or individual policy, has no VA or DOD coverage, is not a FEHBP and has income less than 135 percent of the federal poverty level. The Additional Assistance Card will provide a $600 Medicare credit and the enrollment fee is billed to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
The Bartell Drug Company is the nation’s oldest drugstore chain. The family-owned company has 52 stores in King, Snohomish, and Pierce counties.
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