Accessibility menu
State Representative Joe Atkins
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-4192
For more information contact: Christina Gosack 651-296-5524
Press/News Releases
Atkins Backs Plan to Cut Prescription Drug Costs
State Rep. Joe Atkins announced his support for a new plan to cut prescription drug costs by up to a third for seniors and other Minnesotans forced to pay exorbitant out-of-pocket prices for their medications.
"Seniors and others should not have to go to Canada to find affordable prescription drugs," said Atkins. "This plan applies the same strategy the state is already using to get discounts on drugs for prisoners to give regular law-abiding folks a break on the cost of their prescriptions."
The proposed program would allow the state to negotiate reduced drug costs on behalf of Minnesotans wishing to participate. The state has already been doing this for prescription drugs for prisoners, patients in state mental health hospitals and other public health facilities since 1985. Each customer participating in the program would receive a card.
The program promises to reduce the price of prescriptions for the uninsured by as much as a third, but also help cut the yearly out-of-pocket cost for those relying on the new Medicare Part D drug benefit by up to $1,000. Under current Medicare Part D rules, most enrollees are required to pick up the entire cost of prescription drugs once total costs exceed $2,250 in a given year. Benefits kick in again when costs exceed $5,100. This leaves a "hole" of $2,850 that isn't covered by any of the Medicare Part D plans.
The plan could also be useful for people who have high deductibles on their health insurance, added Atkins. "Lots of peoples' health plans don’t kick in until they've paid over $500 out-of-pocket. Using this program, they could take advantage of the lower drug costs until they meet their deductible."
News Items
- Rep. Atkins, Sen. Lourey Introduce Health Insurance Exchange Legislation - (Posted: Jan 9 2013 3:44PM)
- Rep. Atkins – Statement on Deal to End NHL Lockout - (Posted: Jan 7 2013 2:05PM)
- Rep. Atkins to Hold Minnesota House Hearing on Economic Impact of Hockey Lockout - (Posted: Jan 2 2013 3:20PM)
- Archived News Items
- Subscribe to RSS News Feeds
- Read more about RSS.