Enrollment Begins For Medco’s Medicare-Approved Preferred Prescription Discount Card

FRANKLIN LAKES, N.J., May 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Enrollment in Medco's Medicare-approved Preferred Prescription Discount Card Program will soon be a phone call or a mouse click away, announced Medco Health Solutions , one of the nation's leading pharmacy benefit managers. Medco is one of 36 Medicare-approved prescription discount card sponsors.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040503/PHM017 )

Beginning May 3, all Medicare beneficiaries, including those who qualify for the Transitional Assistance $600 credit program, can sign up for Medco's Preferred Prescription Discount Card Program by calling (800) 864-1140 to enroll with a customer service representative, or by visiting Medco's Web site, http://www.medco.com/.

The Medco Preferred Prescription Discount Card offers Medicare beneficiaries savings ranging up to 30 percent or more on virtually all brand and generic prescriptions approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The program also offers enrollees access to Medco's safe, convenient mail order pharmacy network, clinical expertise, award-winning online pharmacy, and network of 40,000 retail pharmacies nationwide.

"Paying for prescription medications is about to become a little bit easier for the millions of Medicare beneficiaries who have been paying full price for expensive medications," said David B. Snow Jr., Medco chairman, president and CEO. "Medco can offer significant savings on most medications, and Medicare beneficiaries may achieve even greater savings by using generics, when appropriate, and by using our mail order pharmacy," continued Snow.

Medicare beneficiaries interested in knowing the costs for their individual medication needs using Medco's discount card can calculate the costs on http://www.medco.com/, Medco's consumer-friendly site specially designed to meet the unique needs of the Medicare population. Here, potential enrollees and card members can also learn about ways to further reduce drug costs, obtain important health and prescription safety information, and manage their discount card accounts.

Medicare beneficiaries can also call Medco's Customer Care center and speak with a customer service representative about the program, and ways to maximize cost savings. Card holders can also speak with one of Medco's 1,800 highly skilled pharmacists about their medications.

"Sorting through all the information available and choosing the right card can be overwhelming for Medicare beneficiaries who have not had access to a program like this before," continued Snow. "Medco is committed to providing easy-to-understand information, tools and resources to help Medicare beneficiaries navigate this vast new world of prescription benefits that they now have access to."

The Medco Preferred Prescription Discount Card will be available for an annual fee of $25. Additional information about Medicare-approved discount drug cards is available from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services by calling 1-800-MEDICARE or visiting http://www.medicare.gov/.

About Medco

Medco Health Solutions, Inc., a leading pharmacy benefit manager with the nation's largest mail order pharmacy operations, assists its customers to moderate the cost and enhance the quality of prescription drug benefits provided to members nationwide. Its customers include private- and public- sector employers and healthcare organizations. Medco is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol MHS. On the Net: http://www.medco.com/.

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements involve risks and uncertainties which may cause results to differ materially from those set forth in the statements. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed, and actual results may differ materially from those projected. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward- looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Forward-looking statements in this presentation should be evaluated together with the risks and uncertainties that affect our business, particularly those mentioned in the Risk Factors section of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

CONTACT: Jennifer Leone, Medco Health Solutions, +1-201-269-6402,Jennifer_Leone@medco.com; or Kevin Lamb or Amanda Naiman, Coyne PublicRelations, +1-973-316-1665, for Medco Health Solutions

Web site: http://www.medicare.gov/

Web site: http://www.medco.com/