Help When We Need It the Most!
Guest Blogger: Jessica Burrus, WLCP - Work-Life Project Liaison, WorldatWork

March 17, 2009 — In today’s economy we are all scrambling to save a dime, or even a penny.  The cost of groceries has gone up, gasoline prices have gone up, as has just about everything else we depend on in our every day lives.  These are clearly essentials in most cases, but many of us don’t think about one of the most essential components of maintaining our well being and sanity during this economic downturn — health care.  I think it’s safe to say that each of us know at least one person who has lost his or her job in the last year or so.  Like everyone else, I think of how I would pay for my house or car and buy groceries if that happened, but one thing that hasn’t overtly crossed my mind is what I would do about health care and prescriptions for my family? 

According to the Center for Studying Health System Change, “approximately 36.1 million working-age (19-64) adults and children went without prescription drugs because of cost concerns in 2007, an increase of 11.7 million people from 2003.”  This statistic is jaw-dropping!  Before I came to the work-life field I was a social worker working with low-income disabled adults.  Almost every day I learned of how one of my client’s couldn’t afford their prescription drugs and therefore either skipped doses to make it last longer or went without the drug altogether, which was not an optimal outcome, especially with this population. 

Unfortunately this problem is not affecting just low-income families any more.  This scenario is becoming a reality for many people now that layoffs seem almost eminent every time you turn the corner.

Luckily, there are resources out there to help!  I was recently invited to attend a webinar that featured Johnson & Johnson Health Care Systems’ access2wellness program.  This program and many others like it offer discount prescriptions either through your pharmacy or directly through the drug manufacturer.  The great thing about this particular program is although it’s through Johnson & Johnson; even if it’s not a J&J drug you are inquiring about, they will still assist you in finding a discounted drug program that will help.

This is help that could really make a difference.  Many of us are used to having prescription coverage through our health insurance and are unaware how much a drug can actually cost without that coverage. 

To learn more about the Johnson & Johnson access2wellness program please visit their website or contact Andrew Weber.  Other resources for discount prescription programs include, but are not limited to, TogetherRxAccess, RxAssist, Partnership for Prescription Assistance, and discount programs through your pharmacy as well as the manufacturing drug company.  The best weapon is knowledge, and if we can arm ourselves with as many resources as possible in the event of unemployment, the better off we will be.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of WorldatWork and its affiliate, Alliance for Work-Life Progress (AWLP).