For Immediate Release
Thursday, December 09, 2004
AFSCME Partners with Best Buy Drugs Program
New Education Campaign Will Save Members on Medicines
Washington, DC —The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), AFL-CIO, has joined forces with Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports magazine, on a new public education campaign to help people save on their medicines.
AFSCME — the nation’s leading public employee union with 1.4 million working members and over 220,000 retiree members — recognizes that rising prices for prescription drugs are a major factor in the ever-increasing cost of employer-sponsored health care plans. For people without health care coverage, including thousands of AFSCME’s retiree members, the high price of drugs can be a life-threatening catastrophe.
The campaign, Consumer Reports’ Best Buy Drugs, will compare medicines that treat a particular health condition based on price, effectiveness and safety. If the evidence shows one drug to be the clear choice in its category, Consumers Union will recommend it as the "Best Buy Drug." Initially, reports will be issued in three drug categories, but more than 20 such reports are planned.
"We hope that this information will give consumers the information they need to get the best medicine for their money," said AFSCME President Gerald W. McEntee. "In some cases, the most effective and safe treatment may be available for the lowest cost."
McEntee added "Once the information becomes widely circulated and doctors start writing prescriptions based on it, perhaps the drug makers will be forced to reduce their soaring prices in order to compete in the new marketplace."
By logging onto www.CRBestBuyDrugs.org, consumers will find downloadable reports of the first three drug categories studied. AFSCME plans to share the information with members through its publications and web site. In addition to AFSCME, other program partners include the AFL-CIO, Alliance for Retired Americans, American Medical Student Association, American Public Health Association, Common Cause, Consumer Federation of America, Families USA, National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, National Education Association and U.S. PIRG.
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), AFL-CIO, is the nation’s fastest growing public service employee union with 1.4 million members. AFSCME organizes for social and economic justice in the workplace and through political action and legislative advocacy. AFSCME represents a diverse group of service and health care workers in the public and private sectors including nurses, EMTs, bus drivers, child care workers, custodians and librarians.
