Wal-Mart's announcement that it will start selling generic drugs in its Florida stores for as low as $4 a prescription is good news. Consumers can use all the help they can get when it comes to skyrocketing drug costs.
As the Oregon State Public Interest Research Group found in a recent study, uninsured consumers in Oregon pay more than anyone else for prescription drugs because they have no one negotiating lower prices for them.
Of course, the Wal-Mart plan, which is expected to be extended nationwide, is not perfect. It includes only 20 percent of the company's generic drugs.
If a consumer needs a generic drug that's not in the plan -- or a drug that doesn't have a generic version on the market yet -- he still faces those sky-high prices.
So what are the 1 million Oregonians who lack drug coverage to do?
The good news is that Oregon has already developed a powerful tool to cut drug costs, the Oregon Prescription Drug Program.
Similar to the Wal-Mart plan, the Oregon program uses the power of bulk purchasing to negotiate lower prices.
Unlike the Wal-Mart plan, the Oregon program delivers huge discounts on a full range of generics and name-brand drugs, saving as much as 60 percent. What's more, consumers can get the discounted drugs at almost every pharmacy across the state.
The Oregon Prescription Drug Program started small, available only to some state agencies and low-income uninsured seniors. Now it makes both economic and health care sense to expand the program to everyone who lacks drug coverage. Thanks to the work of state Sen. Bill Morrisette and AARP, voters will have the opportunity to make that expansion a reality this November by approving Measure 44.
The measure will expand this proven program to the 1 million Oregonians lacking drug coverage. That will boost the program's buying power and deliver needed price relief. Because the program already pays for itself through the savings it negotiates, Measure 44 won't cost taxpayers a thing.
A broad coalition -- including Oregonians for Health Security, the Oregon Business Association, Service Employees International Union, the Oregon Medical Association, the Oregon Nurses Association, OSPIRG and others -- urges Oregonians to vote yes on Measure 44.
Laura Etherton is a consumer advocate with Oregon State Public Interest Research Group.
