Feature

April 24, 2000--As lawmakers struggle to find ways of making prescription drugs affordable for senior citizens, members of SaveWell have saved $1.1 million on prescriptions since the program was introduced eight months ago.

The average SaveWell member saved $13.67 on each prescription - almost 30 percent off of the price they would have paid if they had not been enrolled in the program. The average overall figure is based on purchases of brand name and generic drugs, either in a retail pharmacy or by mail order.

``As politicians talk about making prescription drugs affordable to seniors, SaveWell is actually doing it,'' said Ben Zelman, president and chief operating officer of SaveWell.com, the company that markets the SaveWell program.

SaveWell is able to offer substantial savings on prescription drugs and other personal healthcare products and services through the group purchasing power provided by the 2.1 million members of its parent company Medical Mutual of Ohio, the oldest and largest health insurance company based in the state.

``With group purchasing power, there is absolutely no reason why seniors, or anyone, should pay full retail price for prescription drugs,'' said Zelman. ``SaveWell members pay the same price for prescriptions as does a large insurance company.''

An annual membership in SaveWell costs $52 per year - just $1 per week. It is not an insurance product, so no one is turned down. One SaveWell membership is good for every member of the cardholders household and immediate family.

SaveWell data for the first eight months of the program also indicated the average savings per brand-name prescription purchased at a pharmacy was $10.06 or 18 percent. The average savings for each generic prescription filled at a pharmacy came to $16.23 or 56 percent. The SaveWell card is honored at most major retail drug store chains nationwide.

Members purchasing drugs via mail order enjoyed even more savings - an average of $43.38 per prescription, or 32 percent.

SaveWell members have also enjoyed substantial savings on vision care. Since the vision component was added in November 1999, members have saved an average of 40 percent, or $98.49 per claim, on eyeglass frames, lenses or examinations.

In addition to prescription drugs and vision care, SaveWell has added and will continue to add other personal healthcare products and services to the program at no additional cost, such as dental and chiropractic care, nutritional supplements, pain-relieving magnets and other forms of care typically not covered by insurance companies or employers.

For information on SaveWell, call 1-877-SAVEWELL, or visit www.savewell.com.

SaveWell.com is an Internet-focused company that markets a variety of health-related consumer products and services directly to the public to help offset escalating healthcare costs and provides access to valuable personal health information on its web site.