The "Life is Good" free prescription plan has an early New Year surprise for American citizens who lack prescription drug coverage. The new Life is Good Discount Drug Card will provide cheaper drugs for both seniors and young Americans alike. It's a nice start on addressing the needs of uninsured American’s.

No doubt many American’s struggle to afford their medications, as "Life is Good" spokesperson Dan Winters pointed out in announcing the program. And the discount card will help. It will provide price reductions of up to 75% percent on commonly used drugs. Any resident of the continental United States is eligible for the card if they have no drug coverage or if they have Medicare coverage but are in the so-called "donut hole" gap where the insurance pays no benefit. Uninsured residents under 60 are also eligible for the program.

Within days of Winters’ announcement, more than 36,000 American’s signed up and paid no fee’s to join the program. So the need is obvious. And the savings can be substantial. For instance savings on popular prescription medications like 75MG Effexor XR yielded a savings of 24%, 40MG Lipitor 18% and 75MG Plavix 16%.

Winters admits that this is only the beginning of an effort to meet the needs of the uninsured. "We are just getting started," Winters said. "You will see a lot more out of the Life is Good campaign dedicated to expanding health coverage to our fellow Americans as we move into '08."

That promise is Winters’ most important New Year's resolution. For example, 18 percent of US residents under 64 are uninsured. Yet individual states have been reluctant to explore solutions that address this issue. "This is where Life is Good steps in", explains Winters "Our goal is to build a complete online resource in 08 that offers the uninsured and needy access to affordable healthcare, direct interaction with licensed medical professionals and assisted enrollment into little know free medication programs offered through various state and manufacturer offered programs", states Winters.

Discount drug programs are a start and Life is Good has indeed addressed the issue, though there are now so many different kinds offered at the state and local level as well as through pharmacies and drug makers that confusion is an obstacle. Still, every little bit helps in alleviating a growing burden: the cost of medical care.

So thanks Life is Good Rx. We as Americans look forward to your continued efforts!