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48 °F Forecast | Road Cams Friday, April 22, 2005 Today's News | Shop Our Valley | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery | Contact Us SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend April 21, 2005 Senate passes Bates’ drug-aid bill By DON JEPSEN for the Mail Tribune SALEM — The state Senate unanimously approved a bill Wednesday sponsored by Sen. Alan Bates, D-Ashland, to provide low-income patients greater access to free or discounted drugs. The positive vote bodes well for passage of the measure in the House, where it is now headed. Senate Bill 598 would allow the office of Oregon Health Policy and Research in the Department of Human Services to develop a network of trained volunteers to give patients and doctors access to medication. It is modeled after a successful program established by Heather and Tony Burns of Medford. Their fee-based Patient Assistance Program helps patients with eligibility and forms so they can receive prescription drugs from more than 150 pharmaceutical companies. Bates, a physician, has used their service for more than two years. "The amount of paperwork a medical office is require to complete to help their patients can be an overwhelming burden on medical offices," Bates said. Because of this burden, many clinics refuse to help patients complete the necessary paperwork, Bates said. Advertisement "This bill will help more patients gain access to critical medications at no cost to the state," Bates told his Senate colleagues. More than 100,000 Oregon residents are already receiving free or discounted prescriptions through patient-assistance programs, Bates noted. "Many more could be served under this bill," he said. About 50 Rogue Valley physicians are referring patients who cannot afford expensive medications to the Burnses, who pre- qualify individuals then contact the appropriate pharmaceutical companies. Bates’ proposal was supported by PhARMA, a national association of drug companies. PhARMA has been supplying free prescription medications for eligible recipients for about 50 years, but a spokeswoman said earlier the industry had not been doing a very good job of getting the word out. Don Jepsen is a freelance writer living in Salem. Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Free Music Downloads Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Distance Education Diamonds Online Poker Slippers Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation teleconferencing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoo Tatoos Advertisement s