Celebrity spreads word on prescription help
BOISE – Montel Williams may be best known as a talk show host and author, but he told a small crowd gathered on Idaho’s Capitol steps Tuesday, “I’m also a patient.”
Williams said he takes $2,500 worth of prescription drugs every month to manage his multiple sclerosis. “That’s what keeps me talking, that’s what keeps me walking,” Williams said.
That’s also what prompted him to become the national spokesman for the Partnership for Prescription Assistance, a program sponsored by the nation’s large pharmaceutical companies to connect qualified low-income patients to an array of prescription assistance programs that can get them free or discounted drugs.
PPA has helped more than 20,000 Idahoans find aid in the past two years. Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America Senior Vice President Ken Johnson said another 80,000 qualify but haven’t signed up.
PPA has two big orange buses crisscrossing the country to get the word out. One pulled into Boise on Tuesday, and it’ll be in Post Falls on Friday – though without Williams – to help North Idaho residents find out if they qualify for prescription aid.
Williams told the story of a woman with a walker who came up to him and told him he inspired her – and that her husband kept asking her why she wasn’t up and working and as active as Montel, despite her MS. Then Williams realized the woman couldn’t afford the pricey medications.
“Tomorrow, someone’s life will be a lot better,” he said, his voice breaking, “if they take their medication.”
He joined Gov. Butch Otter and Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden for a news conference in front of the Capitol with the bus. Otter, who served in Congress with PhRMA’s current president and CEO, former Congressman Billy Tauzin, said, “I just can’t tell you how proud I am of Billy Tauzin and PhRMA and the private sector for stepping forward.”
Wasden added an important warning: Idaho has seen some scams of late regarding prescription assistance. Some patients have been duped into paying as much as $200 for information about free prescriptions. Pointing to the PPA bus, Wasden said, “These are the good guys. It will help you with your prescriptions, and the information is free.”
Johnson said the assistance programs are aimed at people who make too much to qualify for government assistance, but too little to afford health insurance. An uninsured family of four with a household income of $36,000, for example, likely would qualify.
“There are so many people across America and Idaho who are still struggling to pay their bills,” Johnson said. “Help is a phone call away.”
The PPA is a clearinghouse that allows patients to access 475 public and private patient assistance programs, including 180 that are offered by pharmaceutical companies.
Williams said, “I’m going to do everything I can to get the word out. As a patient who must cope every day with the effects of multiple sclerosis, I understand only too well the importance of having access to the medicine you need.”