With 875,000 Illinois residents uninsured and as many as 700,000 Illinois residents potentially losing Medicaid health coverage in 2023, Good Pill will provide direct access to hundreds of life-saving medications and save families $150+/month on healthcare costs
Powered by donated surplus medicine, Good Pill reduces waste of unused and unexpired drugs and sustainably scales the safe delivery of medication to patients in need
SIRUM introduces meaningful opportunity to expand impact of the Illinois Drug Reuse Opportunity Program Act to increase healthcare equity within the local community
CHICAGO, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, SIRUM, the nation's largest redistributor of surplus medications, announces it is bringing non-profit, home-delivery pharmacy, Good Pill, to Illinois. Good Pill is dedicated to providing people with affordable medication (with savings of $150+/month on healthcare costs) and to filling prescriptions for anyone whose medication costs are too high – including people with insurance, but high co-pays or deductibles, and those who don't have insurance who often pay more at the pharmacy counter. Now, hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans no longer have to choose between affording life-saving medicine and other essentials, such as housing and food.
In Illinois, 875,000 residents are uninsured1, and as many as 700,000 Illinois residents could lose Medicaid health coverage in 2023 due to Medicaid pandemic protections that ended on March 312. On top of that, Altarum's Consumer Healthcare Experience State Survey (CHESS) in Illinois illustrated that more than half of all respondents reported being either "worried" or "very worried" about affording the cost of prescription drugs3. SIRUM drives the future of healthcare by connecting people with surplus medications and believes everyone should have access to medication, regardless of cost, age or insurance. SIRUM is powering Good Pill in Illinois by facilitating the collection of unopened and unexpired non-opioid surplus medicine that would otherwise go to waste, and redistributing donated medicine to Good Pill's pharmacy to serve patients in need.
Here's how Good Pill's licensed pharmacy works:
With Good Pill, a patient's first order is $6, regardless of the number of medications and with or without insurance. After the first order and for most medications, it is $2 for a 30-day supply or $6 for a 90-day supply, which can be covered by the patient or provider. There are no hidden fees, and additional financial assistance is also available for patients.
"Today marks Good Pill's launch in Illinois and another step closer to ending the healthcare inequity in this country," said Kiah Williams, SIRUM Co-Founder. "Good Pill is harnessing SIRUM's technology and resources to support families throughout the state of Illinois and to set a new standard for transparent, affordable medication costs. We look forward to serving the local community, and our team will only continue to act with speed and to increase medication access for those in need – ultimately redefining what healthcare looks like for all."
Under the Illinois Drug Reuse Opportunity Program Act (I-DROP), both prescription drugs and over-the-counter drugs can be donated for redistribution if they are sealed and unexpired. All donated medication to Good Pill is checked by healthcare professionals for safety before being dispensed to patients in need. Good Pill carries 500+ different medications, including medication for hypertension, Type II diabetes, depression and more. It carries 75% of the most commonly prescribed medication, and pharmacists may be able to recommend therapeutic substitutions if needed.
"Too many Illinoisans are struggling to pay for their medicines. They're splitting pills, paying the rent late, or just not filling their prescriptions at all," said State Representative Will Guzzardi, chief sponsor of the 2021 I-DROP Act. "That's unacceptable, and we're doing something about it. The transformative new Illinois Drug Reuse Opportunity Program and leading organizations like SIRUM and Good Pill are going to provide lifesaving medicines for virtually no cost to those in need, and I'm so excited to see this important law becoming a reality in our state."
Originally founded in Georgia in 2017, Good Pill is already successfully providing patients across 130+ Georgia counties with life-saving medication worth an estimated $65 million and patient savings of $150/month on average. It looks forward to bringing the same effectiveness to Illinois now as well.
To learn more about the home-delivery pharmacy and where patients can sign up, please visit GoodPill.org.
About SIRUM
SIRUM was founded at Stanford University by Adam Kircher, George Wang, PhD, and Kiah Williams. SIRUM drives the future of healthcare by connecting people with surplus medications. 50 million Americans don't take their prescribed medication because they can't afford it. With soaring copays, deductibles, and insurance costs, many people are making impossible choices between medications, food and housing, gas to get to work, and more. Meanwhile, more than $10B in perfectly good medicine is wasted every year.
SIRUM enables pharmacies and health facilities to donate their unused medicine, and their system is built to ensure compliance and provide full liability protection. SIRUM places simple "recycling" boxes in their facilities, arranges the collection of unopened, unexpired, non-controlled medicine, and redistributes them to those in need through a network of community partners such as local free clinics and charitable pharmacies.
Recognized by the New York Times, TED, and the Audacious Project, SIRUM has already provided $180+ million worth of prescription medication, enough for over 150,000 patients to get the care they deserve -- saving medicine to save lives.
For more information about SIRUM, please visit sirum.org.
About Good Pill
Good Pill was founded in 2017 and is a non-profit, home-delivery pharmacy dedicated to providing people with affordable medication. Powered by donated surplus medicine that would otherwise go to waste, Good Pill fills prescriptions for anyone whose co-pay or deductibles are too high or for those who don't have insurance. There are no restrictions on age, income or insurance to sign up for Good Pill.
Good Pill recently launched in Illinois and already provides patients across 130+ Georgia counties with life-saving medication worth an estimated $65 million and patient savings of $150/month on average.
For more information about Good Pill, please visit GoodPill.org.
1 U.S. Census Bureau, 2021 American Community Survey (ACS): https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/demo/tables/health-insurance/2022/acs-hi/hi05_acs.xlsx
2 Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services' Illinois Medicaid and the End of Continuous Coverage FAQ, Updated April 20, 2023: https://hfs.illinois.gov/medicalclients/faqsendofcontinuouscoverage.html
3 Altarum Healthcare Value Hub's Consumer Healthcare Experience State Survey (CHESS), Data Brief | No. 117 | May 2022: https://www.healthcarevaluehub.org/advocate-resources/publications/illinois-residents-struggle-afford-high-healthcare-costs-worry-about-affording-future-care-support-government-action-across-part
SOURCE SIRUM
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