Arthritis Foundation Challenges Congress to Confront Access to

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Arthritis Foundation Challenges Congress to Confront Access to

Medications

May 4, 2000

MedscapeWire

Medicare pays for hospital services, physician visits, home health and

skilled nursing facility services for 39 million people, but Medicare

does not cover outpatient prescription drugs.

Nearly half of the 43 million Americans with arthritis qualify for

Medicare and are unable to access the many new powerful medications that

are reaching the marketplace. Together, these statistics add up to

millions of Americans who lack access to the medications they need to

battle arthritis.

Within the past 2 years, a number of new treatments for arthritis

entered the marketplace. Many of these drugs, such as the cyclooxygenase

(COX)-2 inhibitors or biologic response modifiers, involve innovative

approaches that promise significant relief for those living with

arthritis.

" Miraculous advances have been made in the effort to control arthritis.

For many who have access to these new treatments, their lives have been

transformed, allowing them to participate in life. The unfortunate

aspect is that, for many, gaps in coverage mean they cannot access these

advances, " says Klippel, MD, medical director of the Arthritis

Foundation.

Recognizing the urgency of this situation, the Arthritis Foundation, the

nation's only voluntary health organization advocating on behalf of all

people with arthritis, is calling on Congress to take steps this year to

make prescription drug benefits available to Medicare beneficiaries.

For National Arthritis Month, May 2000, the Arthritis Foundation is

asking all Americans to highlight this issue by participating in the

" Message in a Bottle " campaign. In an effort to symbolize the number of

people adversely affected by barriers to access, the " Message in a

Bottle " initiative asks Americans to send in empty prescription bottles

and personal letters describing the problems they face in obtaining

needed medications.

Arthritis Action Day will mark the culmination of this Arthritis

Foundation campaign. On May 18, 2000, the Foundation will deliver the

letters and bottles to Congress on behalf of the millions of Americans

affected by this issue. The Arthritis Foundation urges Congress to pass

legislation this year that improves access to medications for people on

Medicare and urges healthcare plans to provide coverage of needed

arthritis prescription drugs.

" The Arthritis Foundation believes no one should be denied access to

appropriate medications. As an organization, we are committed to

ensuring that Capitol Hill is aware of the daily effect this issue has

on the millions of people who have arthritis or other chronic

illnesses, " says Mulvihill, chair of the Arthritis Foundation.

" Our goal on Action Day is to let our nation's legislators see

first-hand how Americans are impacted by this issue. "

For the 43 million Americans suffering from some form of arthritis, this

gap in access can be devastating. Unfortunately, if no action is taken,

the problem will only increase. By the year 2020, the Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention estimates that more than 60 million

Americans, or 1 in every 5 people, will suffer from arthritis.

For arthritis information, call the toll-free Arthritis Foundation

information line at 800-283-7800, or visit the Foundation's Web site at

http://www.arthritis.org.