New Yorkers To Get Much Needed Relief From Soaring Rx Prices

Albany- State Senator Martin Golden (R-C, Brooklyn), the Chairman of the State Senate Aging Committee, today is announcing that the New York State Legislature has approved a drug purchasing discount card for New Yorkers, a major victory in his efforts to lower the cost of prescription drugs, a measure expected to save over 400,000 New Yorkers between 35% and 60% of current cost.

The new program allows persons aged 50 and older to receive significant discounts when paying for prescription medication. The requirement is that individuals and married couples be at least 50 years old or older and meet the same income levels as those eligible for EPIC—roughly $30,000 for individuals and $50,000 for couples. The new program also covers disabled individuals of any age. The program, allowed to begin as soon as the State Health Department gets the program running probably later this year, is estimated to benefit approximately 400,000 people.

"Across New York State, people have been crying out that they can not afford their medications, that they have had to sacrifice meals in order to pay for their pills. In this day and and age, in the Empire State, this should not be the case. We have fought for lower prescription drug costs for individuals for four years, because it was imperative that we do something to provide relief," said Senator Golden.

Senator Golden continued, "The original vision to save New Yorkers from the rising cost of prescription drugs was that of a large voluntary purchasing pool, in which any New Yorker who wants to participate could do so. We envision ultimately a program like CostCo or Sam’s Wholesale Club, in which individuals and groups band together to use the free market to negotiate the best prices for prescription drugs."