Information tough to come by if you want prescription drugs at a

(This article originally ran in Colorado Springs Business Journal, Colorado Springs, CO, another Dolan Media publication.)

Americans spend $250 billion a year on prescription drugs, a figure that could be significantly reduced if consumers knew how and where to shop for bargain drugs.

Dr. Michael Cecil, an Atlanta cardiologist, spent three years researching ways to reduce the cost of prescription drugs after the number of his patients who couldn't afford prescriptions rapidly increased.

The research led to one conclusion: Although discounted prescription drug programs are available, there is little information presented to the public.

There are 100,000 books published every year and not one is available on how to lower prescription drug costs, Cecil said. So I collected the techniques and organized them in a book.

Cecil's book, Drugs for Less: the Complete Guide to Free and Discounted Prescription Drugs, has landed him appearances on National Public Radio, Fox News and in Money Magazine.

Cecil said rising drug costs are widely reported in the media, but solutions are never discussed.

What mitigates rising costs in any industry is competition, he said.

Look at the Internet - we live in a free market but without consumer information they (consumers) can't make informed decisions, he said. Consumers are then unable to drive competition among the pharmaceutical companies.

Take Canada, for example.

Five years ago Canadians paid 50 percent or less (for drugs), Cecil said. When the media exposed this, there were businesses that started importing prescription drugs. The information triggered this. I'm against it (importing) because of safety reasons, but one fact widely disseminated can change pricing. What would happen if enough Americans said Medicare should be able to negotiate lower prescription drug costs?

The Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement and Modernization Act, which President Bush signed into law in 2003, did negotiate assistance for prescription drug costs.

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, an estimated 29.3 million of the 43.1 million Medicare beneficiaries are expected to enroll for Part D.

But Cecil urges seniors to read between the lines.

Medicare beneficiaries can choose Part D benefit by paying extra costs each month. The initial enrollment starts Nov. 15 and runs through May 15. However, if a senior signs up after the initial enrollment period, he or she will be subject to a 1 percent premium increase each month thereafter.

Cecil devotes ample space to Medicare in his book, and also warns that scammers may prey on unsuspecting seniors during the Part D enrollment period.

Cecil's book and Web site - www.drmichael.com - cover a gamut of information, including the differing costs from one pharmacy to another; generic drugs and pharmaceutical assistance programs.

National liaison programs assist with breaking through the barriers to programs for discounted drugs.

According to its Web site, Partnership for Prescription Assistance coordinates with pharmaceutical companies, doctors, health care providers and organizations to help people access more than 475 public and private patient assistance programs, including the more than 150 programs offered by pharmaceutical companies.

Needymeds.com, a Web-based program that provides information about patient assistance programs for no-cost prescription medications to those who qualify, averages 9,500 hits to the home page every weekday and 70,000 total page views per day.

Most Americans comparison shop before they purchase a car, a computer, a couch, a pair of skis or an insurance policy. Not so when it comes to medications.

However, knowledge is power, Cecil said.

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