NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J., May 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The pharmaceutical operating companies of Johnson & Johnson announced today a three-part program to assist low-income Medicare beneficiaries.
* The companies will continue to offer their patient assistance programs (PAPs) to seniors and disabled patients(1) who qualify for, but have not enrolled in, the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit. * In conjunction with a coalition of pharmaceutical companies, Johnson & Johnson has asked the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services to approve a program that would provide help to Medicare Part D enrollees when they run up against the Medicare benefit gap -- the so-called "donut hole" -- and have to pay 100 percent of the cost of their medicines out of pocket. This program will apply to eligible low-income beneficiaries. * Finally, until Dec. 31, 2006 or approval and implementation of the coalition program, the company's PAPs will provide patient assistance to Medicare Part D enrollees who have special circumstances of financial and medical hardship and meet certain financial criteria. The company will simultaneously seek approval from the OIG for this hardship program.
"We are very pleased that Johnson & Johnson is taking these important steps to help some of the most vulnerable people with Medicare by ensuring that they will continue to get the drugs they need while working with the Medicare drug benefit," said Mark McClellan, Commissioner of the Center for Medicaid and Medicare (CMS). "It's a win-win for patients: the benefits of drug coverage plus extra help from manufacturers."
A Coalition Program
The coalition approach proposed to the OIG would permit assistance from the coalition program to be treated the same as assistance from any other entity or individual. This would enable beneficiaries to obtain Medicare catastrophic coverage according to benefit design.
It would also allow patients to continue to get their prescriptions through their pharmacy, rather than from their physician's office, making access and coordination of care easier for seniors and the disabled.
"The Medicare prescription drug benefit is an important and valuable benefit, but the Medicare benefit gap does present some challenges for low- income beneficiaries," said David Martin, President, Johnson & Johnson Health Care Systems, who is responsible for the patient assistance programs of Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical operating companies. "That's why we are continuing our help to beneficiaries who are not enrolled in Part D, offering the OIG a proposal that we believe will be a major help to eligible Part D enrollees who reach the Medicare benefit gap, and providing hardship assistance to eligible beneficiaries in the interim."
In summary: * The pharmaceutical operating companies of Johnson & Johnson will continue to offer patient assistance to eligible Medicare beneficiaries(1) who do not enroll in a Part D plan. * Because the low-income subsidy (LIS) offers a comprehensive and affordable benefit, patients who appear to be eligible for the LIS will be required to apply for it. We will continue to assist beneficiaries who appear eligible for the LIS in their application process and we will continue providing patient assistance to patients who apply for but are denied the low-income subsidy because of their assets. * We will implement and seek approval for a hardship exception that will address the needs of Medicare Part D enrollees who have special financial and medical hardships, have incomes less than or equal to 200% of the federal poverty level and are ineligible for the Medicare Low Income Subsidy. * We hope to be able to announce additional enhancements that will assist Medicare beneficiaries following the positive response of the OIG to the submitted coalition proposal.
Johnson & Johnson operating companies have been helping patients when they are in need through patient assistance programs for more than 16 years. Last year, these programs provided more than 1.7 million prescriptions to more than 245,000 people of all ages.
Medicare beneficiaries who would like additional information about the patient assistance programs of Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical operating companies can contact the Partnership for Prescription Assistance on their toll-free customer service number, 1-888-4PPARX-NOW (1-888-477-2669), or by visiting the PPA website at http://www.pparx.org.
(1) We provide patient assistance to eligible individuals who are
uninsured with incomes generally below 200% of the Federal Poverty
Level.
Johnson & JohnsonCONTACT: Press: Jeffrey J. Leebaw, +1-732-524-3350, or Marc Monseau,+1-732-524-1130, or Investors: Louise Mehrotra, +1-732-524-6491, or StanPanasewicz, +1-732-524-2524, all of Johnson & Johnson
Web site: http://www.jnj.com/http://www.pparx.org/
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